Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham
by kakophony
Summary: A twist of magic meets Gotham's finest crime fighters! Destruction arrives in the wake of a Chinese witch's visit to Gotham. Batman and his allies' efforts to find the witch are futile until a Japanese, devil-may-care girl and her dragons join the scene. Instead of helping them crack the case, she stirs up more tempestuous trouble but in doing so, reaps what she has sown.
1. Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham

**Introducing:**

 _Daitan'na_

My name is Tomoe, and I come from a family bonded only by high standards, and a single purpose. To slay the celestial dragons from Heaven and Earth that resided in the hills of our village.

After a devastating calamity four decades ago, my village, driven by rage and vengeance, sought to destroy and exile the dragons from the land. The teachers and elders of my home praised and prized the young warriors dedicated to the cause. But they were also vicious and cruel to those who would fail or disobey. They wanted a savior, but the only thing they needed saving from...was themselves.

I am Tomoe Namakettei. The child who climbed the mountains. A fugitive to my village and family. A girl that chooses to love and protect dragons, instead of murdering and exiling them. Those dragons have left me something precious...their children. Three beautiful dragons I've raised since they hatched. I am who I am right now because of them.

I am Bold

I am **Daitan'na**!

* * *

Beta-read by the kind Disco-Wing, thank you for the tips and fixes! If anyone requires a helpful Beta-reader, it's Disco-Wing for you.


	2. The Kick Off

**_Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham_** **TAKES PLACE IMMEDATELY AFTER THE EVENTS OF BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL. _ANY_ MODIFICATION APPLIED TO THE ORIGINAL PLOT OF BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL OR STORIES THAT CONCIDE OR OCCUR _AFTER_ IS INTENTIONAL AND WILL NOT ALTER KEY INCIDENTS IN THE COMICS.**

 **I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE FEEDBACK, SO PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER!**

 **Daitan'na: Grit of Go** **tham**

 **Chapter One:**

 ** _The Kick Off_**

* * *

Gotham City.

The black sky is dotted with stars, the city below blinking and glimmering away, busy in their own nocturnal glory. It's a completely different atmosphere from Xinjiang, China. Definitely not a place where I can find candied hawthorn anywhere I look. But I know I'm good at adapting. Though I have to admit spending a few years in the mountains makes me unfamiliar to foreign, contemporary surroundings.

It makes me feel like it's a place where you just can't _come_ and fit _in_. As if the people of Gotham are already there for a reason and they don't need some impulsive, Japanese girl with dragons crashing their community. But I'm not here to belong anyway.

Ever since I escaped Japan, on the back of a celestial dragon, I've been living in the home of a Chinese witch in Xinjiang, buried between the mountains of Kunlun Shan. When the celestial dragons left me there with their eggs I thought they were abandoning me. But then I realized they had to go. They trusted me. And so, the Chinese witch, Wei Zhihao, took me in and I was in her custody for five years. She was completely unperturbed upon hearing my story and seeing my new responsibility. Together we raised, nurtured the dragons. Moretsuna and Gankona grew extremely fast. Their preternatural powers were already peaking by the second month. Their seemingly endless, slender bodies could easily wrap around Muztag and perhaps even level it. Dokutokuna, however, stayed the size of my cupped palms while they grew on and on until they could no longer.

Wei-san (I insisted on calling her that in my language out of honor and reverence) did much more than give me food and shelter. She taught me how to control them. Befriend them. Her magic is beyond logic, beyond science but I knew better than questioning it. She can grab the most simple, arbitrary things and whip up something completely extraordinary.

To ink me the special tattoos I have all the way from my shoulders to my wrists, Wei-san took advantage of my agility and strength to fetch the necessary components. I had to wrestle with a large octopus, walk fields and fields to fill basketfuls of saffron croci and borages, and pluck some hair from Gankona and Moretsuna's short manes. She said the octopus's ink, the red from the saffron croci, the blue from the borages, and the strands of dragon hair only needed an adequate amount of her magic to play their roles. And now designed on my skin, are two vivid, intricate dragons that coil down to my wrist bones. It's a work of art that enables me to summon and seal Moretsuna and Gankona at will. Dokutokuna could control his presence, something his brother and sister are incapable of.

She fashioned me a necklace. It comes with a charmed locket encasing drops of her blood. She said whenever I'm separated from her and I needed to find her, the necklace grows hot or cold attributable to proximity. Wei-san has the same kind but with _my_ blood in her locket. It's useful when she would disappear on occasions. It relives me when I find out her whereabouts by just touching the locket. A little warmth always meant she's still in the country. Although she comes back no later than a day, I worry. She would just vanish, no note except for a list of chores and the table laid with a meal.

But this time, it has been weeks.

The locket is stone cold and I'd visited two other neighboring provinces, Gansu and Qinghai. I knew there would always be a little warmth to indicate she's still in China but it wasn't there, so I took my search out of the country.

I wasn't going to wait any longer in Xinjiang.

I have to find her, wherever she is.

Just half an hour ago I was high in the sky, on Gankona's back until she took a dive all of a sudden. My hand is always on the locket and if I'm not mad, I'm almost certain it's not as cold as before. So I put my faith in this city. This dark, foreign place.

Thank goodness Ms. Wei taught me English, or else I would've been a wandering git. I'm not strong at mathematics or sciences but if there's something I excel in academic studies, it's communication. I was still the dumbass of the class though. Not that it mattered because our lives revolved around training and martial arts.

I don't know where to start. I'm too tired to continue the search in the sky and Gankona insisted she got back into the tattoo along with Moretsuna, for a nap. Dokutokuna floats by my ear, surveying our new environment.

Dokutokuna is different from them. Starting with size, it goes down to abilities. He can't breathe or control fire, nor spit out acid. He can't start hurricanes or rain either. But he can materialize at his will, breathe out copious amount of smoke, heal wounds, and apparently owns a bottomless stomach. Those abilities his brother and sister don't possess so he often boasts about it until Moretsuna threatens to set him on fire.

I peer down from the rooftop once more. Seeing the way women are dressed here makes me feel even more out of place. I'm wearing a sleeveless white top (there's an ugly black stain down my front) with simple black embroidery along with puffy grey pants. Diaphanous fabric under my top flows down from my shoulders to my wrists, to _slightly_ conceal my tattoos. A woman walking down the street is dressed smartly in a pencil skirt and a beautiful caramel coat. Unlike me, she has sartorial elegance.

But I don't need that. I just need to find a place to settle.

I place one foot on the ledge and jump. And maybe I shouldn't have done that, because apparently I landed right in the middle of the street. In front of a car.

Whoever is in there is barking mad and can't stop honking. The carlights blind me.

"What the blazes was that?!" A guy sticks his head out of the window and screams at me. "I coulda run you over!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" I sputter. I don't think he hears me because he steps out of his car, his large, square face lined with anger. I hide Dokutokuna behind me but he refuses to disappear. He's too amused.

"Where ya from? _China_?" He squints, eyeing me up and down. "What's with the freakin' getup? That how Chinese people dress? Wait, I prolly don't make any sense to ya—"

"Actually, I'm _Japanese_ and I understand and speak Eng—" I say but he talks over me.

"Yeah, yeah, same thing. What's that thing behind ya? I swear I heard somethin'."

Cars are blaring behind him. He's reaching out to me, past my shoulder. I whisper urgently to Dokutokuna, to vanish at once but he doesn't listen. That little rascal.

"What the—" The man says then shouts with a violent jerk. " _OW_!" Dokutokuna bit him. Really hard. He turns his little purple head to me then finally obeys, disappearing.

"What the— _what bit me_?!" He yells even louder. I look worriedly at the people coming out from their cars, impatient and curious. "Hey where ya goin'? Come back here!"

I turn and proceed to run from the mess but I was stopped by a flash of red and green. A masked kid stands before me, hands on his hips.

"What have you done?" He glares down at me. He doesn't wait for my answer and instead marches over to the man, who is still yelping. He should know Dokutokuna's bite is ineffective to his system because it doesn't contain poison, acid, or anything harmful but he wails away. The kid manages to calm the man and get everyone else back in their cars and all the noise dies down eventually.

Just when I thought I had gotten away, the kid is on my tail. He followed me into an alley.

"Who are you?" He demands. I turn around and look at him carefully. He's quite short. He's just a mean looking kid in a fancy outfit. I can just knock him out easy and save myself from more trouble.

My hand, flat and firm, lashes out for his neck. But he jumps back and gets into a stance. I bite my lip. The kid has experience.

But I have more.

I leap at him, my leg first but he dodges it, grabbing and pulling it towards him. I flip back to free from his grip and my boot hits his chin upwards. He shakes it off and comes at me with more attacks, his fists everywhere. While he's distracted with trying to smash in my face, I fall to my toes and spin one leg out to break his footing. He topples forward but manages to bring me down with him by locking his arms around my neck, kind of like embracing me but to kill me. Choking, I grab his body and throw him off me. His sword slices past my cheek, almost drawing blood. With a clang, it drops to the ground. I pick it up and when I look at him again he's staring up with a defiant face. I blink. Does he think I'm going to kill him?

"Hah!" He gives a triumphant exclaim as he knocks his sword out of my hands, strike my knees down, and then pins me to the wall, the tip of the sword piercing into my neck.

"I…wasn't…going…to _hurt_ you," I say carefully. The blade is going deeper as I speak. "Put…it _down_."

"If you answer my questions," He says sinisterly. "Who are you?"

"Tomoe."

"Where are you from?"

"China."

"And what is _that_?"

His sword points at Dokutokuna, who's glowering at Damian.

"He's my _friend_ ," I say and push the boy off. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just got here and I need a place to rest. If you don't mind, I need to—"

He's studying me with hard eyes, like he's thinking fast.

"I have a place you can stay," He says. "No rental fee. Just follow me."

I raise my eyebrows. A kid that tried to kill me just minutes ago is now offering me a place without rent. How shady can this get? And how foolish am I to believe him?

"You're kidding, right?"

Still observing Dokutokuna strangely he replies, "No. I am not. Are you coming?"

I sigh. Even if it's some joke or setup to kill me, I can take him on easy. I'll give it a shot. The night's not too late anyway. "Sure, kid."

"Don't call me that. Try to catch up." He says and jumps onto a dumpster, flips onto a metal platform, and climbs onto the roof.

We race against the silver moon. The wind against my face, the adrenaline pumping in my veins…I haven't felt this in a while. His cape blows in the wind and my jet-black hair whips loose. I almost forget I might be following him into a trap.

"So," I breathe as we come to a stop. I look at him. "Who's here to abduct me?"

He doesn't say anything but makes me look forward. I find myself staring at a mansion. A rather old but grand looking one. Well, this could be a typical spot for hostage taking.

"I'm still a little doubtful." I tell him.

The boy rolls his eyes and walks over to a little pad on the stone column. He presses a button and speaks lowly into it. I look at the plate bearing a name. _Wayne Manor_. Sounds… _expensive_.

The huge gates swing open and the boy signals me to follow. I frown. I haven't been here in Gotham for more than three hours and I'm already pursuing a young stranger through the gates of a freaking palace. Or am I just desperate for a place where I can crash for free? Because in my pockets are just crumpled Yuan and I'm in no mood to go exchange for the dollar currency.

"You think this place is cool, Dokutokuna? I think so too," I whisper to my little purple dragon. The boy and I walk through the front doors. "Yeah, that little boy is nasty but he's offering us a pla—"

"Master D— _Robin_?" An old butler approaches us. "Who's your friend?"

"She is not my friend," The boy, Robin, answers. "Where's father?"

"You know where he is," The old butler answers, giving him a look. "Would you still care for dinner? What about you, Miss?"

I look at Robin, a little relieved that this didn't turn out as bad as I thought. "Can I?"

"Whatever."

I look at the man's smiling face. "Yes, please."

A few minutes later I'm taken to a large dining hall. Robin left me with the old man, who introduced himself as Alfred. I feel intrusive and incongruous, sitting awkwardly in the large wooden chair at the large wooden table. I don't even know these people, yet I'm here waiting for dinner. Why did the boy call me here? He definitely didn't give me the first impression of a saint so he must want me here for a reason. But I don't really care now, unless it's something dangerous or cruel concerning my dragon friends.

Alfred serves me a drink of wine and a plate of steak and sauté vegetables. My mouth waters at the sight of it. I didn't pack much for the journey so I'm starved. I try the wine but it was so bitter I cough and gag. Maybe my taste buds aren't mature enough yet.

The noise of the knife cutting into the steak, on the plate, echoes in the empty dining hall. I'm thinking by the time I'm done eating I'll get out of here as soon as possible. I'll thank Alfred and Robin for the kindness but honestly, I can't take up _every_ offer given to me.

I eat the last of my steak and when I'm done, I stand up quietly. I walk into the hallway and call for Robin and Alfred. I'm not leaving without saying thanks, that's just rude.

At the end of the hall is a door. I speak at the door,

"Robin? Alfred? Robin, it's Tomoe. Thank you but I'm—"

The door swings open and a person wearing a red helmet steps towards me. I step back, a little jumped.

"Leaving already? Please, _stay_."

Oh shit. I hope I'm not in trouble.

Why would I be?


	3. Trouble Follows

_[Text] means translated from a language_

 _Edits will be made often, so please excuse them. I'm still quite new to Fanfiction and the way it works unlike Wattpad._

 **Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Two:**

 ** _Trouble Follows_**

* * *

"Robin," A man wearing this weird black cowl calls. "Why would you bring a stranger in here? You were just on patrol. Take her back to where you found her."

Obviously he hasn't heard of discretion.

"Batman, _look_ at her necklace," Robin answers. "The tattoos. The damn _dragon_. Doesn't it sort of remind you of someone we've been chasing after for the past few days?"

"I'm sorry," I say, realizing they must have mistaken me for someone. Probably someone dangerous. "I'm just here to look for somebody in the city. Um, Robin, thank you for the food and the kindness but I have to be on my way now—"

I turn around to a new face. A rather _handsome_ face.

"It's rude to leave so abruptly, no?" He says.

"Uh…but…" Oh god, what have I gotten myself into now? "What do you want with me?"

"Have a seat," The man, Batman, says in his gravelly voice, gesturing the armchair across him. "Let's talk."

He gives me the impression that he's not someone to joke around with. His posture, the thin white slits in his cowl, and the dark outfit just tells I should do as he says. Besides, I'm outnumbered.

I drop myself into the chair.

"About what, exactly? I haven't been here in Gotham for more then _three_ hours and there's already something I did? Look, the guy was really getting on my nerves and I _didn't_ make Dokutokuna bite him—"

" _Three_ hours?" He repeats. "It can't be. Tell us the truth. And what is your name?"

"Tomoe—and I _am_ telling you the truth. I'm here to look for someone," I insist. "I don't know exactly if she's here but—but I can tell somewhat."

"How?" The handsome guy raises an eyebrow. "Enlighten us."

"Now, you have no right to be prying into a stranger's—"

"Okay, let us be more clear," The red helmet guy from earlier says calmly. He points a gun at me. "Enlighten us or I _shoot_ you."

The handsome guy glares at him. " _No_ , Red Hood."

"Shut up, Nightwing or _Agent 37_ or whatever, you know I'm not really doing it."

"If it's a fight you want, I can give it to you," I say, looking at this Red Hood guy. "You're not getting _anything_ else out of me."

"You heard the lady," Red Hood suggests to the other three males in the room. "Shall we?"

"If you insist," I stand up and face him. "Let's go."

"A fight is _completely_ unnecessary," The handsome man, Nightwing (I think I'll call him that), sighs. "We'll only ask a few questions."

"About what?"

"About…whom you're looking for."

"And why?"

"Because…we think we might—"

"Okay now who's asking the questions?" Robin blurts out. "If she says she'll speak if she's won over in combat, then so _be_ it."

"You already know where I'm from _and_ what my name is," I shoot a look at the glaring boy. "This has nothing to do with whatever you guys are involved with."

"You don't know that," The Batman says. "If you're proven innocent, you'll never see us again."

"So?" Red Hood crosses his arms.

"No, Hood," Nightwing says again. "She has experience."

"She does, _indeed_." Robin scoffs. I make a face at him.

"If there is no oth—" I cut myself off. My tattoos are burning.

Moretsuna wants to come out.

 _Oh, god, not now._

I speak to them through my mind in Japanese. [ _Guys, I'm in a middle of a situation, not now, okay?]_

 _[Are you in trouble?]_

 _[No! No—I—I'm not. Just stop burning me, will you?]_

Now Gankona's tattoo is freezing up.

 _[Gankona, please not you too. Arrrgghhh.]_

"Okay, what's happening?" Red Hood demands. "Why are…why are your tattoos _glowing_?"

"None of your… _business_ ," I bite my lip. I have to think fast. And act fast. "[Dokutokuna, smoke breath!]"

The room fills with billowing smoke. Harmless but thick enough to blind them while I flee. "I'm _sorry_ but I really _got to go_!"

A hand latches onto my wrist but I elbow whoever it is in the face and slam the door after me. Oh, dear. I don't even know if I remember where the front doors are.

"Pennyworth! Lock _all_ doors!" I hear a yell closely behind me.

I glance to my right. There's a window.

"Sorry for destroying your property—" I hurl myself through the window. Glass shards clutter the grass outside.

I climb up the wall of the house, using my mountain climbing skills. The surface is mostly flat so I have to really focus on my footing and handhold at the same time hurrying. I jump from window to window, shoving my finger through cracks and spaces. The rooftop should be enough. My tattoos burn and freeze me still. I knew Moretsuna and Gankona would realize the situation through the way I speak. They know me too well.

"Where is she?" Comes a faint shout through the shattered window. " _What the_ —"

I smile victoriously as I reach the rooftop in a few minutes. I look down to check if anyone's coming after me.

"Tomoe."

" _Holy_ —" I exclaim, almost tripping backwards and off the roof. The man with the cowl is right in front of me. "How…Who the _hell_ are you?!"

"I'm Batman."

"Okay, you got me," I say as I hear more footsteps all around me. "But you have to promise me you won't report me to the police or drive me out of your country."

"Unless whatever you're about to do is dangerous," Batman says unflinchingly.

"It really depends on you, Batman sir," I shrug. "But they won't hurt you."

" _They_?" Damian demands.

I sigh. I can't believe I'm doing this. This wouldn't have even happened if I had just refused Robin's offer.

I push up the thin fabric and hold out my arms. "Moretsuna, Gankona, you can come out now."

My tattoos stop burning and freezing and white glows are emitted from both. They keep on growing and growing until they almost seem to block out the moon. Robin unsheathes his sword, Red Hood draws his guns out, Nightwing is reaching for some kind of sticks, and Batman is just watching.

"Well, Dokutokuna," I say. "This really wasn't what I had in plan. I guess we have to go crash elsewhere…if we don't get into anymore trouble."

"They're _dragons_ ," Robin says. "They're… _beautiful_."

I blink. I expected 'horrifying' or 'monsters'. I mean, they _are_ beautiful but it takes some guts to see past their malevolent eyes and keen jaws.

The moonlight hits Moretsuna's brilliant red and grey scales. His eyes glare into them, as if anticipating an attack. That's Moretsuna for you. Always pessimistic. I see Gankona is less obviously bellicose for whatever that's going to happen. She observes the situation more but assaults at any form of threat.

"Explain. Now." Batman orders quietly.

"Um, they're dragons. My friends." I answer. I don't know what else they need to know.

"And?" Red Hood presses.

"That's it," I say. I narrow my eyes. "What, you think they have me under mind control to do their bidding?"

"Maybe."

"That's stupid. _I_ raised them. If I tell them to rip your heads off, they will. _No_ , Moretsuna, I said _if_. I _didn't_ ask it." I shake my head.

"You said you were from China," Batman says. "These dragons are Japanese."

Hm. He's good. "I'm originally from Japan."

"You brought three dragons into China. Why?"

"I'm not here to tell you guys a story about my life— _you_ speak now, about _what_ or _who_ you _think_ I'm associated with. I've shown and told you enough."

Silence purses my words. I can see Batman thinking.

"Fine. Let's get back in."

* * *

"No. No, you're mistaken. _Very_ much mistaken."

I'm shaking. There's a weird rumbling in my chest.

"She's a witch— at least that's the only word we can use, and she wears a necklace that looks like yours."

" _This_ necklace," I say, trying to keep my voice even. "Holds my mentor, my caretaker's _blood_. It helps me find her when I lose her. It helps _her_ find _me_ when she loses me."

"What if it's so that you don't get away from her _ever_?" Batman says softly. I know he's taking it slowly but I can already hear his point. And I don't like it at all.

"I'm not sitting here and letting you accuse a woman who has fed and sheltered me for the past _five damn years_." I spit.

I stand up but they just close in on me.

"You _have_ to listen," Nightwing says gently. "We're good people trying to save our city. We know you're good too. This woman…perhaps she is not your guardian and perhaps she is but you have to connect the evidence we have here."

"Evidence? All you've got are two _necklaces_ that look similar and the woman being a _witch_."

"Your tattoos," Batman points at them. "Did she ink them for you? I didn't have to see the dragons to know they're magic. This woman we are tracking down at the moment leaves a mark. We don't have a clear shot of her face but it's something about what she does…she just leaves a _mark_ and we know she's responsible. Your tattoos reek of it."

"Magic doesn't have smell," I sneer.

"Yes but her magic leaves a mark, I said. It's a _tenor_ , a character very distinct and very unique."

"For the past six days, she has been causing mayhem all over Gotham. She flooded an amusement park, set fire to a school, and murdered about ten people in a mall. In broad daylight. The water was licked up and the fire diminished the second we showed up. She would disappear, her face still unknown. A few causalities but countless left injured. And left in the air was a certain… _ambience_. Vague but it struck a feeling, a thought directed directly to the _same_ person."

I can't keep my voice from rising. "Stop talking as if they're the _same damn_ _person_! My mentor _is_ a witch but she's a _good_ witch that only used her magic for good, for her wellbeing and _mine_. This woman you are talking about is a criminal, a murderer. Nothing like her. They're not the same person. You're wrong. I'll _prove_ you wrong."

"Answer us a few more questions then we'll let you go," Batman steps forward. "How did you lose your… _guardian_?"

"She just left…she does that often."

"And the longest time being…?"

"A couple of weeks…"

"Has she ever done anything that made you uncomfortable or in pain?"

I stare up into Batman's steely eyes. He has concluded. But I have not. I turn and run. The hall seems to stretch forever. I hear Red Hood asking if it was safe for me to go. And Batman just says,

"Let her go."

My chest is tightening up. My face is growing hot. When I make it out of the manor I feel like throwing up. But I keep it in and drop to the ground. I feel the necklace in my palm. It's like ice.

And I don't even know if I want to feel warmth.

Do I really want to see her here?

* * *

 _"Tomoe! Come here for a while!"_

 _I was sleeping on Gankona when she called. I've been training for the past two hours so the rest was well deserved._

 _"TOMOE!"_

 _I jerked awake. Still drowsy, I rolled down the little hill to see what Ms. Wei wanted. "Sorry, I was sleeping. What do you need me to do?"_

 _"I have a severe cold," She said, wrapping a shawl around her. "I require ingredients to prepare an elixir."_

 _"Don't you think it's easier for me to just drop by the stores in the village and get you a cold medicine?" I asked her, confused._

 _"No, my dear," She insisted. "In exchange for my magic, I am extremely susceptible to diseases, such the common viral infection, the cold. I've been debilitated and no mediocre medicine can replenish me to my full capacity. I must use the remaining bit of my sorcery to whip up a cure."_

 _"Alright then," I said, putting my gloves and boots on. "What do you need?"_

* * *

It's getting really late and really cold. My bag feels heavy on my back now. I find a crummy hostel as I walk down the streets of Gotham, looking for a cheap place to crash. When I look up at the battered wooden sign I find myself imagining the coziness and warmth I had a _slim_ chance at indulging in the Wayne Manor. But I would never stay under the same roof with those bastards. If I can find comfort out of a rock, I can take this for the night.

I managed to exchange the yuan for dollars and thank Tengoku Ryuu up there that I have enough for at least two nights. The receptionist is a middle-aged man with a nasty smile and a nasty smell. He hands me the keys to my room and asks me if I need to be ushered. I would have smacked him in the face if I didn't have to stay here.

I hear noises from behind the doors I pass. All kinds of noises. I knew the moment I entered the "lobby" that I'm in the bad spot of city but I don't really care at the moment. But then I don't think that anymore once I see that the door to my room isn't lockable. I swear if any of those lunatics next door come in when I'm sleeping, I'm burning this whole hostel down.

When I open the lights I see about six little and big black things scurry about the floor. The floorboards grate every time I'm on my feet. The whitewashed walls are blank and ugly. The bed is low and grey but I'm pretty sure it was white once. The pillow is flat and hard, as if there's a wooden plank in it instead of feathers or foam rubber. On the beat up nightstand next to the bed is an old clock I'm not sure is working.

I keep all my clothes on and don't bother touching the sheets.

It's freezing but nothing's colder than the locket on my chest.

 **SLAM**

 **BANG**

I stir and sit up to the sudden noise. My head snaps to the clock. It reads 2:02 AM. Wrong or not, it's late. And I'm angry. Two hours and thirty-two minutes of sleep is not enough for me to restore my politeness and sensibility. I woke up before around 1:00 and took off my top because it got really hot later on. And now I'm burning inside and out.

A man with a potbelly is lying face down on the floor, the door knocked off its hinges. There's raucous laughter outside. Another douche steps in and kicks the unconscious man, slurring and snickering.

" _Heh_! Get up, Jerome, you fat fu—"

My foot slams into the side of his face.

He flies back into the corridor and crashes into his friends. All of them as drunk as skunks. That'll give them a worse headache than the booze in their veins.

"You picked the wrong room to bust in to, _buddy_ ," I growl and advance towards them but stop at the sound of a gunshot. It came from behind me. The bullet embeds the wall directly above the lolling head of the man I just kicked.

" _You_!"

"Sorry for stalking but," Red Hood sighs. "I swear I didn't watch you undress."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So, yes, in the last chapter, Damian brought Tomoe Namakettei to Wayne Manor, in his full Robin costume. To address the confusion about his action, please remember that Tomoe is a foreign girl from China. And not even the cities of China, the remote mountains of China. She is suspected to be involved with the person the Batfamily is tracking down and Damian, finally getting a good lead on the case, didn't want her gone.**

 **So he tried the nice, innocent offer although he didn't expect her to be so trusting (he surely had the beat down planned in his mind) and brought her to their home. She had no idea about who they are, in public or secret, so he felt safe doing what he did. And he thought, if she does happen to have connections with who they're after, they can take her in for interrogation. And he did not bring her to the Batcave because that's a top-secret place where they work and it was one or the other. He was uncertain so he needed confirmation from his father as well.**

 **I hope this reasoning is acceptable and please continue to read. And don't forget to drop a review!**


	4. Fellowship in Blossom

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Three:**

 ** _Fellowship in Blossom_**

* * *

This night does not want to end. There are drunken scums out in the hallway, racking me up a headache and there is Red Hood, squatting in the window awkwardly. All I want was some sleep so that I can face the morning but what do I expect from this part of the city? Apparently Red Hood and I had to meet again but I didn't picture it like this, not at 2:00 AM in the morning, not in a crappy hostel room crawling with insects.

"Were you following and watching me the _whole_ time?" I demand.

"Pretty much."

"You _sick_ bas—!" I growl but he jumps towards me and tackles me to the ground. " _Wha_ —" The room fills with gunshots.

"They have guns," He grunts. "Call me a sick pervert later but we gotta get out of here."

He leaps up and starts shooting with two guns. We're outnumbered but they're just cheap, petty criminals with intoxicated minds. This will be easy.

I join the fight. I knock their heads together, hit their pressure points, and shatter their bottles on their heads. They're firing blindly and incessantly, which almost challenges my agility. I find my back making contact with Red Hood's. Seven down, two to go.

"Hey, you good at acrobatics?" He says, both of us staring down the two men.

"Try me." I do a backwards somersault, over Red Hood's head and kick down the man he's facing with my leg. Red Hood doesn't even have to deal with the other guy because he passed out.

"Good work." He says, pocketing his guns.

" _Good work_?" I repeat, glaring at him. "Mind explaining me why you're here?"

"Okay, you have to understand that it's for your own good. I'm not going to be like Batman or Nightwing — I'm going to be _straight_ with you. Whoever you're looking for might not be who you think she is. We don't want you finding her first and becoming victim. For now you have to stay under our watch. We placed a tracker on you so—"

" _Seriously_?!" I shout. "Why can't you _believe_ me when I say I _know_ who I'm looking for? She is not a criminal! When I find her I'll _show_ you she's—"

" _Calm_ down," Red Hood interrupts. "I think there's a way we can settle this."

"And what's that?" I cross my arms.

" _You_ help us catch the murderer. Prove to us that they're two different people."

"Fine," I say. "I will."

Red Hood lifts the window and puts one foot over the sill. He looks at me over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"No, of course not," I say, pulling my shirt down my head. "I need to sleep. It's freaking 2:00 AM."

"You're _not_ sleeping here with nine men lying unconscious in your room. And I saw a rat somewhere. I have a hotel room a few blocks away from here. You can crash there."

I hesitate. He notices.

"I'm not hitting on you, Tomoe. Jesus Christ."

"I know you're not! I just thought—never mind," I say. "Just let me get my things."

* * *

"Nice digs," I comment. "Swanky."

I'm happy I chose to go along with Red Hood. The hotel room is large, expensive, and absolutely lavish. From the ivory silk sheets embellished with gold embroidery to the beautiful round marble surface under the huge bed to the large glass windows overlooking the glorious, exuberant night of Gotham City, it's a luxury I've never imagined. It's surprisingly toasty but I still want to cocoon myself like a baby in the thick blankets. Dokutokuna appears and is nestled in the fruit basket. Well, he's already comfortable.

"You've been staying here?" I question.

"Just rented this morning when I found out I'm still going to be in Gotham."

"Why can't you stay at the manor?"

"A man needs his space."

I rub my elbow and I feel my fingers against the only yuan left deep in my pocket. Maybe about twelve.

"Hey, I'm sorry but I can't repay you," I gulp. "If there is _anything_ I can d—"

"Don't worry," He waves a hand. "As long as you're on our side."

"Thank you, of course. We're equals," I nod. "And I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now." I yawn and put one foot on the bed.

"That's my bed, get off."

"Please?"

"If you want me to treat you like an equal, you hit the couch," He says, taking off his jacket. "I don't usually do this, consider yourself lucky."

"Oh, whatever, kind sir. I'm taking advantage." I say and plop into the couch, which is the size of the bed back at the hostel.

I hear him shuffle into the bathroom and turn on the faucet. I stare up at the ceiling and find my thoughts drifting back to Ms. Wei. I hope she's safe and sound wherever she is.

 _I'll find you and take you home. Soon. Right after I prove these people that you're not that insane murderer. You're my teacher, my guardian, my—_

"Hey, Tomoe," Jason says. "Mind if I ask for the name of your _guardian_?"

"Wei," I sigh. "Wei Zhihao."

"And what's yours? The full one."

"Tomoe Namakettei."

He comes out of the bathroom. His helmet is off.

"Nice name."

"Um, thanks. What's yours?"

"Red Hood."

"Hah, funny," I sit up on the couch and watch him move about the room.

"Jason Todd," He says. "Only fair I tell you."

"Of course, I'm helping you lot," I say. "So…tell me about yourself, Toddy."

"Don't call me that," He shoots me a dirty look. "Uh, so…I'm vigilante with nowhere to go unless needed. That's pretty much _that_."

"I see," I murmur. "You remind me of myself."

He sits down on the chair across the couch, polishing his red helmet. "How so?"

"I'm an outlaw too."

"I thought you had someone taking care of you."

"No, Jason," I sigh. "China is not where I belong. Or _want_ to belong. I was…not accepted in Japan."

"What did you do?"

"Apparently everything my parents and village didn't want me to. I protected and loved dragons. When they sought to slay them, they included me as one of their kind. The parents of the dragons I'm with now helped me escape to another country and disappeared. Possibly forever. I don't think I can ever go back to Japan without being called a disgrace and menace and being burned down with torches."

I get lost talking about it. The unresolved problem still borrows deep in my heart. I think about it and it never seems to stop. I can't move on from the fact Japan is no longer my home, my country. Telling someone about it doesn't help much either, it just reminds me over and over.

"That's…well," Jason rubs the back of his neck. He looks at me. "Pretty rough. But aren't you proud of yourself?"

"For what?" I lie back down and turn my back to him. I can't look at someone in the eye whenever I talk about something personal.

"You saved them. It sounds like to me that their parents trusted you with probably their most important things in their lives. And you raised them and loved them. I don't know anybody that could singlehandedly bring up three freaking dragons."

"Yes but…knowing my mother only gave birth to me to slay dragons _stings_. She doesn't love me for anything else. It's always "do better" and "you're not good enough". Those feelings were part of why I chose the dragons. I feel their pain from the way the village loathes them."

There's a silence. I understand Jason doesn't know what to say.

"I'm _sorry_ ," I laugh weakly, turning to look at him. "I don't know when to shut up, do I? We barely _know_ each other and I'm already spilling my heart out…it just gets heavy in here."

"No, it's okay," He says, not looking at me. "I get it. I hope you can find your guardian…Good night."

He walks off to the bed and turns off the light.

"Good night…Jason."

Maybe I got too personal. I should learn to keep my mouth shut because Jason and I just met this night. But I already trust him. Well, not in such way that I'd throw my life into his hands but in a way I can tell him anything. Or is it that I'm way too comfortable and too trusting around strangers? And that would be just one of my problems.

* * *

"Jason, don't tell me you slept with her."

I jerk awake. The curtains are drawn so the sunlight attacks my eyes. Blinking rapidly I see a boy and Jason standing by the couch. Wait…I thought _I_ was sleeping on the couch. Why am I on the bed?

"What? _No_. Tim, is that what you think I do?"

"Who are you?" I ask, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

The boy with neat ebony hair in the striped T-shirt and blue trousers looks at me and smiles. "Oh, hey, I'm Tim. Tim Drake. And you are?"

"I already told you her name, basically everything about her."

"Tomoe," I introduce myself, untangling myself from the blankets. "Hey Toddy, why am I on the bed?"

Tim stares him down.

"No! Ugh! I moved her there. _I_ slept on the couch, dammit." Jason groans.

"What a gentleman you are, _Toddy_ ," Tim raises his eyebrow. "Anyway, we should get to work. We don't know what kind of disaster the witch is going to bring down on Gotham today. She strikes only in the morning which makes it a little inconvenient for some of us but you, Jason, I assume you have no trouble with it?"

Jason nods. "Yeah, of course."

"I assume you're working with us?" Tim asks. "Because I just revealed my identity and I'm hoping that wasn't a mistake."

"Yes, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Splendid."

I smile but then I scowl. "Obviously you don't know what Mister _Batman_ and Mister _Nightwing_ were thinking. They decided that who _I'm_ looking for and who _they're_ looking for is the same person. And I'm here to prove you that they are not."

"Well," Tim glances at Jason. " _I'm_ not jumping to any conclusions, if that makes you feel better."

"Thank you, Tim Drake. I like you already." I say appreciatively.

"You'll have to be in contact with us. Can you give us your cellphone number?" Tim asks.

"I don't have a phone."

"Why not?"

I stare at him. "I live in the freaking mountains."

"Fair point. I'll get you a comm link," Tim says. "Right after I interconnect it to the network, with Jason, Dick, and mine."

"I don't know what that is but count me in." I move into the bathroom, tying my hair sloppily.

"And teach you how to use one."

I wash my face and open one of the complimentary toothbrushes. I turn around. Tim is gone.

"So where are you going to start looking?" Jason asks, joining me at the sink. He grabs his toothbrush and waits for me to finish squeezing the toothpaste tube.

"I don't know," I say. I point at my necklace. "I'm using this to guide me. I would have continued my search in the sky if it weren't for Gankona getting tired. When I landed in Gotham I thought the locket grew a little warm. Just a bit. We'd been at it for days, without rest."

We both brush our teeth, staring into the mirror. I notice Jason's eyes dropping to my tattoos.

"You like?" I spit and rinse.

"I do," He says, bending over the large sink too. "I think they're really cool. Makes you look… _masculine_."

I smile. "Thank you."

We both exit the bathroom. Jason starts to remove his shirt so I whirl around, to respect his privacy.

"You do know we're both adults? Or at least I'm certain one of us _is_."

"Yes but…I'm not used to it," I cough. "Sorry."

When he's done changing he puts his red helmet on. I frown. "You're like a whole new person when you put that mask on."

"Sorry I can't be a nice, hot guy all the time."

"No, that's not what I mean…actually, yeah that _is_ what I meant. With that thing on, you point guns and bark in my face and when you take it off you're a gentleman that gives up his nice, big bed."

"Don't get used to it."

"Never," I say, grinning. "Now please turn around, I need to change."

"Prude."

"Shut up."


	5. Truth or Ties

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Four:**

 ** _Truth or Ties_**

* * *

Shortly before I leave the hotel Tim comes to find me again and gives me this little device to wear at the ear, to communicate with them. The comm link makes me feel like some kind of spy…very _slick_.

Jason made me study the map of Gotham City quickly before we leave. He said there is no time for me to get lost, as if he knows I _will_ get lost. We separate as we exit the hotel. I have the necklace in my hand and it feels like ice. So I walk on, taking the time to study the city in broad daylight. And it's just as great as it looks in the night.

I'm getting a few odd looks probably because of my mismatching ruby red vest and dirty-green cargo pants. My tattoos are on full display because it's a hot day to wear anything long sleeved and people of Gotham deserve to see their beauty. I really _am_ vain.

It's hard to envision a city looking like this to be constantly inundated with crime. Jason said it's a miserable place he grew up in. No one's safe at night, he said. ' _You get stabbed or shot for money or get caught up with a drug baron or crime lord._ _From petty crooks and drug dealers to assassins, aliens, and psychotic killers, trouble in Gotham has variety'._ Not the ideal home, clearly, but it sure owns its dangerous ambience.

I think about where Wei-san could be. In a small, arcane Chinese medicine store? No, of course not, because she could easily get them in China. What can Gotham possibly offer a witch? It's too modern…too _newfangled_ …what would she be looking for?

* * *

 _"Here you go, Wei-san," I said, dropping the sack onto the dinner table. The jars in there clicked and clanged. "Everything you asked for."_

 _"Including six fly agarics and the bell heathers?"_

 _"Yup, I made sure not to poison myself with the toadstools and belladonna berries, just like you advised." I said and collapsed in a chair._

 _Wei-san smiled and placed a cup of tea before me. She squeezed my cheek. "Thank you, Tomoe. Are you interested in what I'm making today?"_

 _"Always," I sipped the hot milk tea. "What do you need the poisonous toadstools and fruits for anyway?"_

 _The thing about Wei-san's brews is that she required the most specific ingredients. She said if she wants the color blue she can't get just about any blue. I don't know what in her mind tells her she needs borage, not a cornflower. If she wants yellow, it must be an elecampane, not a sunflower. She wouldn't allow it otherwise. She said it's not only the pigments, it's the herbal properties and their corollaries on the whole brew itself as well. She said every ingredient is a piece to a puzzle and if one is not correct or needed, her magic will fail._

 _Her magic is limited that way. Every brew has a base and their quintessence. Their fundamental requirements should be acknowledged or it wouldn't make sense. Her spells, however, are different. Witches beyond her age created spells and enchantments she used today but if Wei-san wanted to create her own, it'd be very tricky. Suppose she wanted to extend the life of a flower. She'll need another plant, probably one still in bloom. Her magic recognizes the necessary element — in this case, the life span of the plant — and transfers it to the subject. It's much, much trickier than it sounds but that's how I understand it, even though her magic itself is still unfathomable. When I ask her how she does it she simply answers: "my mind is my magic"._

 _She's grinding up the little black berries, her hands in gloves. "The fly agarics contain hallucinogenic alkaloids and the belladonna berries contain atropine. The remedy I am brewing is not pleasant…it will sting and burn. While the healing properties of the cure work on the wound, the hallucinogens from the toadstools can distract the mind and the poisonous compound of the fruits play as a muscle relaxant."_

 _"_ Wound _? Are you hurt?" I sat up in my chair in alarm._

 _"No, my dear," She said, turning around. "_ You _are."_

 _"Wha—_ oh _," I said. I looked away._

 _A creature bit me while I was on an errand. It was a winged reptile, not a dragon, but it was small and angry, its mouth full of corrosive acid that scalded into my shoulder. I had Dokutokuna heal it but it was a slow recovery. I hid the ugly, brown wound from Wei-san because I never felt it was appropriate to ask for anything. She was already doing so much,_ giving _so much._

 _"I didn't want to bother you. You were quite busy."_

 _"My dear," She sighs, kneeling down and putting her arms around me. "Don't you see? Everything I do…it's all for you."_

* * *

All these memories are not helping me with where to start looking. So why am I recalling them? It's just making me _miss_ her more.

' _Tomoe? Come in, Tomoe_.'

'Yeah, Jason?' I speak back into the comm link.

' _Come to Gotham's Toy Box right now. It's across Central Park_.'

'Did you sight the witch?'

' _No but she left a sight alright_.'

'Okay, on my way.'

Lucky I studied the map before I left so I know my way around the city a little. Gotham Toy Box? No problem.

When I get there it's absolute chaos. The windows to the store are all shattered and kids and parents are running out of there crying for help. I jump in and try to rush the citizens out faster. I look around for anybody hurt.

I gasp. There's a young boy not older than eleven shrieking, holding his neck in agony. Dark, red streams seep through his fingers, blossoming across his bright blue shirt. When he removes his hand there's a grotesque wound. Flesh seems to have been chewed away, leaving bloody chunks and a pool to flow. There's a girl with her parents trying to carry her away from the store. I notice scarlet fluid caking over her ear…or what's _left_ of her ear.

"[Dokutokuna!]" I call out. He appears by my side at once. "[Heal all the people that are injured the best you can _right now_. Go!]"

Dokutokuna's healing abilities should be strong enough to stop the hemorrhage but most likely not enough to close the wounds. He can't heal what's not there…their _flesh_. But the rest the hospitals can take care of.

I jump into the store and join Jason and Nightwing. We come to face a bunch of…toys?

"What's happening?" I shout to them, over the sound of wailing sirens.

" _That_."

I look at where Jason is pointing.

The stuffed animals are alive, bearing huge, keen sets of teeth. Their mouths dilate until the point they're big, bottomless holes. They climb off the shelves, their eyes glinting with malice and throats emitting guttural sounds. No longer fluffy and cute, just hungry and evil.

" _Flesh-eating_ stuffed toys," Nightwing remarks. "Never thought I'd see the day. Be careful. Don't let them touch you."

I unzip my sling bag and pull out my Sai. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use these. I don't even know why I carry them around…if I only have little experience with it and…if they aren't mine.

"They're coming for us!" Jason yells and we spring into action.

A soft, used-to-be-cuddly bear latches onto my ankle at once. It has a rather strong grip, staying on when I shake my leg vigorously. It lets go at the swing of my Sai and growls and widens its mouth. Its teeth collide with the sharp dagger and the tip impales its throat. The toy goes slack and drops to the floor.

A stuffed bunny attacks me but behind me comes another one. I drop my Sai and struggle to get the tiny thing off of me. The one in front of me lunges, ready to chomp my head off. I finally find the ears of the living toy clinging onto my back, pull it over my head, and slam it against the other salivating plushy. They both fall at my feet and become as still as actual stuffed toys. I grab my weapons and look around me.

Jason to my right is shooting them right in the mouths. They explode everywhere, cotton and other things I don't really want to know flying in our faces. When I see three plushies grabbing onto him with jaws open I race to aid but a bird toy comes soaring towards me. I slash off its wings and stab it through its beak. When I look at Jason, he has these large sharp blades geared up at his arms. It slashes and rips away easily at the incoming toys. Impressive.

"Just…one…more!" Nightwing says, beating the last one with his baton-like sticks.

The only sound heard now is the crunching of glass under our boots. A weird pain floods my chest all of a sudden. The atmosphere of the place…the dreadful feeling I'm getting out of it…why is it so _familiar_?

"This is her work for sure," Jason tells Nightwing. "And she vanished before we got here."

"She was here," I say quietly.

Why am I only seeing her in my head?

"Yeah, we kno—" Jason says but I cut him off.

"No. It's _Wei-san_ …" I say. "I _know_ it's her." I feel the necklace in my palm. Cold but I know there _had_ been a lick of warmth. I've just missed her.

Nightwing and Jason exchange glances.

The air is suffocating me. Telling me, _screaming_ at me that Wei-san…Wei-san was…

"I…I have to find her," I back away. "She was here. I feel her."

" _Tomoe_!" They call out but I'm running out into the city already. I can't believe she slipped away from my fingers. What if she's hurt? What if she's trying to send me a sign? What if…what if she _did_ this?

I don't know where I'm going but I'm running. My feet thump hard on the concrete and I feel heavier each step. Jason is calling for me through the comm link but I don't want to talk. Things are adding up now. I'm scared. I'm scared _they're_ _right_.

Oh god. I can't deny this anymore.

 _They are right._

* * *

I find myself back in the hotel. Jason gave me this key card to the room, saying I have access to it. I thought it was real sweet of him until I realize he followed me. Again.

"Do you really have nothing better to do than to stalk me?" I ask, burying my face in my hands.

He walks to the bed and sits next to me. "Probably not. I'm supposed to look after you."

"In case I _foolishly_ walk into a trap and get myself killed?" I spit.

"I want to be honest with you but—"

"But what?" I glare at him. "Tell me the _truth_ , Jason. Last night when you were listening to me, I thought I said too much even though you seemed to understand… but you've been playing along, haven't you? Just to get me on your side, you _convinced_ me that you _believed_ me. Tell me truth _now_."

He sighs. He removes his helmet.

"I wasn't acting, Tomoe. We may have just met recently but you needed someone to talk to. I listened because _I_ wanted to…but my people and I had an agreement. Batman thinks — scratch that, he _knows_ who _you're_ looking for and who _we're_ looking for _is_ the same person. But he didn't want you to hear that again because he thought you might go look for her yourself and get hurt or _worse_ , get killed. So he told me to stick with you and make sure you're safe while we track this woman down _together_."

" _Wow_ ," I breathe out. I turn so I don't have to look at him. "This man is _really_ getting on my nerves…if…if _you_ were very close to someone but people are telling you they're a criminal, would you believe them right away? Or would you deny and look for the truth yourself? It's not easy to…to just _throw_ away years of bond _together_ and come to… _realize_ …"

"Frankly, I would do what you're doing," He says seriously. "I've been down the same road, I _know_. I would shoot who's trying to tell me otherwise but—"

"Then what's keeping _me_ from shooting _you_?"

"The truth, Tomoe. The _truth_ ," Jason says. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me hard. I let him, moving like a lifeless fish. "It's a hard pill to swallow but _we're_ here to help."

"You don't _understand_ , Jason," My voice cracks. "If the only person I ever loved turns out to be evil, a _murderer_ …I've got nobody else. I have _nowhere_ to run, _nowhere_ to hide and cry. I've lost…my home _again_."

My eyes are stinging, my palms are moist. The drumbeat of my heart is slowing but getting heavier. I want to throw the lamp at the TV then maybe at Jason's head but I also feel like curling up on the floor in a fetal position and waiting for the screaming voice in my head to simmer down. Jason's gloved hands rub my shoulders now and he says,

"We're on your side. Believe me. If we find her, you get your answers. _You_ can decide whether or not…she's family to you anymore."


	6. Compliance and Alliance

_[Text] means translated from a language_

 **Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Five:**

 ** _Compliance and Alliance_**

* * *

 _I'm alone. With three dragon eggs. On top of a hill._

 _Tears were still wet on my cheeks as the clouds finally came together after Tengoku Ryuu's departure. The ground sealed up again and Jigoku Ryuu was now back where he came from. They entrusted me with their children. Now I have a different responsibility._

 _To nurture dragons and try not to get killed doing it._

 _But why, oh_ why _would they leave me here? This place is deserted. How am I going to be able to feed myself_ and _these dragons when they hatch?_

 _"_ _[Where am I?!]" I yelled in Japanese, as if the heavens could answer me. Everywhere I looked there were mountains and mountains stretching beyond._

 _"_ _[You're in Kunlun Shan of China, my dear.]"_

 _I nearly jumped at the voice. When I turned I saw nobody. I looked down from the edge of the mountain and with squinted eyes, saw a blur of a small figure._

 _"_ _[Why don't you come down? I prepared tea.]"_

* * *

 _"_ _Tomoe, can you please come here for a while?"_

 _I bookmarked the tome I've been leafing through about the history of China and headed into the kitchen where Wei-san was. I sat across her at the dinner table and studied what she had in her hands._

 _Two empty silver lockets on simple silver chains._

 _"_ _In case we are ever separated we can use these to guide us back to each other," She said, opening a locket. "These lockets are charmed to recognize a person and track their whereabouts by their blood. If you do not mind, can I draw some blood from you?"_

 _I held out my arm. With a small blade she sliced into my skin very slowly. Once the locket was full with the thick, scarlet liquid, she closed it and took it by the chain it's on. She wore it around her neck. I wiped up the blood and put a Band-Aid over it as the same procedure followed with the cut on her arm. She encased her blood in the other locket and handed me the necklace._

 _As it rested on my chest I felt the locket grow very hot. I stared at it in wonder. I looked at hers and saw it was also burning a brilliant red color over her bottle green blouse._

 _"_ _Amazing!" I exclaimed._

 _"_ _Now we'll never lose each other."_

* * *

 _When I woke up this morning, the bed across the room was empty. It gave me a chill down my spine. Wei-san wakes up extra early everyday but something about the empty bed told me she hasn't been in it._

 _I made breakfast for the two of us. Maybe she had to fetch herself some ingredients for a new brew. Her basket and cloak were not by the door. She never goes out without them. So I supposed she will come back soon._

 _Two hours later, still no sign of her return. I drank the tea, ate the pork dumplings by myself, and stored her meal away. I tried to focus on finishing the tome about ancient China but my mind was still distracted with Wei-san's absence. This was the first time she left without informing me. Of course I felt uneasy._

 _Early afternoon. I was playing with Dokutokuna, sitting on the back of Moretsuna. I found out he can just about eat anything. His stomach is bottomless, he said. A great place to hide something. Moretsuna scoffed and said the ability was useless. Dokutokuna, unfazed, said he wouldn't heal Moretsuna if he were wounded. Gankona remarked he didn't have the heart_ not _to._

 _Early evening. I haven't made dinner. I became horribly worried. I wanted to go out and look for her but the necklace was producing enough warmth to assure me she was still in the country, perhaps a province neighboring Xinjiang. I sat at the table, waiting, staring at the clock, and wringing my hands. Dokutokuna was sleeping on my shoulder. He said he'd stay up all night for her return so a rest now would be good. He really is a kind soul._

 _Wei-san came back an hour before midnight. I was asleep but I heard Dokutokuna hissing in my ear. I didn't move until he bit on my fingers._

 _"_ _Ow!"_

 _"_ _Tomoe?" A figure moved into the bedroom and flipped the lights on._

 _"_ _Wei-san?" I said drowsily. "Wei-san!"_

 _I flung my arms around her. "I thought you left me."_

 _She chuckled. "I was only gone for twenty four hours, Tomoe. I'm sorry I left without telling you. I had something to do and I didn't want you involved."_

 _"_ _You don't need help with anything?"_

 _"_ _You've done just enough. Did you use the necklace?"_

 _"_ _No, I…It was slightly warm so I knew you were still in the country," I answered. "I was considering going out and looking for you. I was dreadfully worried."_

 _"_ _But I'm here now…let's get some sleep, shall we?"_

* * *

"I'm here to help."

Batman's face doesn't change but I know he didn't see it coming. Jason is behind me. He took me here, a strange, dark place below the Wayne Manor. Batman doesn't respond to me and instead looks at Jason.

"What happened?"

"Another accident. The witch gave life to _stuffed toys_ in Gotham's Toy Box, along with the intent to eat us. Tomoe here was at the scene."

"I felt her mark," I say quietly. "Like you said, Batman. The tenor, the _character_ in the air. It really _was_ her…"

I've been contemplating with mixed feelings all day yesterday till this afternoon. I couldn't sleep at night because even though the truth laid bare to me, I wanted to convince myself, tear through the wall of affection for Wei-san, to accept the uncompromising reality. Jason has been trying to help as much as he could but I know he kept his distance for good reasons. I had to overcome it myself. They've said enough and I believe them. I know I can trust them—for _real_. Jason said he isn't the most persuasive person in the bunch but what really pushed me towards going to Batman at last was his understanding. He wasn't forcing me to reach an answer, he didn't expect me to have everything worked out inside. He was just…there. I like that about him.

Wei-san might not be who I think she is. Perhaps Jason is right about that. But if that's true, then I want to know who she is. I want to ask her why she would do this. If she needed help, why didn't she ask me? If she wanted to travel across the world and terrorize Gotham, why didn't she tell me? There's good in her, I know. Five years with her, I would know. Whatever she's facing, her inner demons or actual demons, mental illness or bizarre phase, I want to help. But first, I need to know.

I look at his half-hidden face determinedly. "Let me help you get to her. I need answers."

After a few seconds of ringing silence and piercing gazes Batman finally opens his mouth.

"If you are going to work with us, you need to know some rules. You can't go revealing your identity to everyone, which you have been doing a _lot_. We don't know whom Wei Zhihao is working with. We don't know the people you met here in Gotham. We don't know if those people are working with Wei Zhihao. You need another identity and maybe even a mask because you are not safe. She could be sending out people to keep an eye on you or to even annihilate you."

"Then why didn't she do it herself back in China, in the seclusion of our home?" I question, raising my eyebrows. " _My_ safety is the last of our worries, Batman, it's the _city_."

"We have a lot of unanswered questions. Maybe we'll get some answers from _you_. And I'm aware you know who Red Hood is under the mask. Though it was reckless of him to disclose that informa—"

"Batman, it was _my_ decision. She wouldn't have trusted me if I didn't tell her and it was only fair," Jason speaks up from the shadows. "And I'm still here, you know."

"I'm perfectly fine without knowing your face under the cowl or your name without the cape, Batman," I say with a scowl. "As long as we can work together."

"You cannot tell anyone about this place or the people you work with. We work hard to protect ourselves as well," Batman turns to his big computer screen. "While we do keep our secrets, we have to find out more about you to get Wei Zhihao. Do you comply?"

"Depends on what you're asking," I frown. "If you want to know about how her magic works you're not getting much out of me."

"Fair enough. We just need to know her weaknesses, her strengths, and her… _habits_. But first, work on the name you will go under from now on. You must not walk the streets of Gotham like an average…person."

"Oh, um, about that… I got into this country _illegally,_ I _just_ realized," I point out. "Not going to rat me out?"

"No. Maybe not now."

"He's funny," I tell Jason as we walk up the stairs we came down from. "What is this place, anyway?"

"The Batcave. A hush-hush location where the real business goes down." Jason says, widening his eyes to emphasize.

"Very cool. I swear I won't tell anyone…even if I had someone to tell….So, my _other_ identity. Does it mean I can't call myself Tomoe anymore?"

"Yup. We all got cool names here. Red Hood, Batman, Robin, Red Robin (I know, really creative), Nightwing or Agent 37 or whatever…can't be hard to name _you_."

We stop at the hall and he studies me from head to toe. I shift my weight to my left leg awkwardly.

"Dragon Girl."

I make a face. "Awful. Doesn't sound fitting."

"Hm, yeah you're right. Dragon Baby suits your tastes more?"

"You're a dick."

"Now that's just Nightwing."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Dragon Warrior?"

"Kung Fu Panda fan much?"

"Dragon Princess?"

"Thank you but I'm not royalty."

"Dragon Chick."

"Now that just sounds misogynistic."

"Dragon Lassie!"

"What does that even _mean_? Okay, it doesn't _have_ to have dragon in it," I roll my eyes. "Just one word would sound _catchy_ …something you don't hear a lot."

We ponder in silence. Jason is still snickering from the names he suggested. I kick him in the shin and he stops.

"We should start calling you _vixen_ ," Jason mutters. "I'm going to grab something to eat. You coming?"

"Uh-huh…"

I follow him into the kitchen. Robin is in there, eating lunch and Alfred at the sink, washing dishes. When he sees me there he raises his eyebrows really high. He drops his sandwich and gets off the stool.

"What is _she_ doing here?" He asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Chill, Robin," Jason says, sitting down. "She's with us now."

" _What_?"

"Oh, he said I'm working you guys now." I say but I know Robin heard Jason.

"How? Did Batman tell her—"

" _I_ did. She understands the situation now."

"Oh, _does_ she?" Robin sneers. "I'm not fooled. What if she's here to infiltrate? Get our secrets and go whisper it somewhere else?"

Okay, he really has to stop talking like I'm not here.

Jason coughs. "I doubt it and besides, _you're_ the one who brought her here first."

"Yeah, because I wasn't sure whether she was involved."

"Look, Robin, it was hard for me to make this decision but I'm here now," I shrug. "We don't _have_ to hate each other."

He scoffs and returns to his meal. "Where's your dragon anyway?"

"Dokutokuna? Right here," I say and said dragon materializes in front of me. I can tell Robin is interested in my little friends from the way he looks at them. "Do you have any friends like these, Robin?"

"One," He says. "Goliath."

I smile. "Maybe my dragon friends and Goliath can meet up some day." I notice I'm talking as if I'm staying here forever.

" _Hnnh_ ," Robin observes Dokutokuna as he nears him. He hesitantly sticks out his palm and the little dragon rests on it, staring back at him with large olive eyes. I smile, watching them as Jason chats with Alfred. Although Robin puts up this tough guy façade, he's just too _on edge_ sometimes. I wish he'd smile more but I don't know him…what he has gone through.

"You want a sandwich?" Jason asks me.

"Yeah, sure, thanks."

"His stomach is _bottomless_ ," I tell Robin. "Wanna try it out?"

Robin grabs a spoon. "He eats just about anything?"

"Well, he _swallows_ just about anything."

The spoon disappears down Dokutokuna's throat. The curious boy grabs another one. Down it goes. Three more spoons later Alfred says Robin will have to clean them after Dokutokuna hurls them back up. I laugh.

"Don't worry, Alfred, Dokutokuna's body doesn't work that way. The undigested substances go down the esophagus to a different chamber, not the stomach that breaks down masticated food. I just call it his stomach because I have no idea what it is so the only thing you'll have to clean away is his saliva. I've seen him cough them back up. Robin, you can drop in all the spoons you have in the house, it's simply bottomless."

" _Fascinating_ ," He comments. "How on Earth does it _work_? His mass or size is not increasing at all."

"Call it magic, call it unprecedented or _unscientific_ but it's real, alright. He swallowed me before just to prove it. Came back out covered in spit," I say, glad that got something other than a glare or a grimace out of the boy. "This skill might sometimes come off as inessential to our cases but his healing powers I'm forever grateful to. The poor guy gets degraded around his siblings but I think he's special." I kiss the top of his little purple head.

"His brother and sister sure are special as well…what are their names again? _More_ -what?" Jason asks, struggling to pronounce Moretsuna's name.

"Moretsuna, the red one. Gankona, the blue one. Long, yes, but I wanted to name them for what they are in Japanese. Moretsuna means ferocious. Gankona means tenacious. And Dokutokuna, is my _unique_ little buddy."

"Well, aren't _you_ discreet about favoritism?" Robin says drily.

"If you can name your dragons why can't you name yourself?" Jason smirks. "C'mon, Dragon Lassie sounds pretty heroic."

"Oh, quiet," I puff out, munching on my sandwich. "I'll come up with something. I want it to be special, to _define_ me."

"Prudish?"

"Stop it."


	7. Shadows

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Six:**

 ** _Shadows_**

* * *

I'm still at the Wayne Manor as it becomes evening. I enjoyed Alfred's cucumber sandwiches and the coffee, feeling guilty for my indulgence but he made me feel all right about it, like _I'm_ doing him a favor.

I left my bag in the "Batcave" so I go down alone to retrieve it. Jason said he had to run, probably to shoot more people. Robin stalked off and the little dragon Dokutokuna went after him. I'm happy Robin at least enjoys the company of my companion if he doesn't quite appreciate mine.

I try to be as quiet as possible so that Batman doesn't come popping up behind me. I get down and reach for my bag on the small table and when I turn around I face him. _God_ , I knew it would happen anyway.

"H-Hey," I say, not sure of what to tell him. "Just…grabbing my bag."

"What's in there?"

"Nothing. Just some medicine, a book, and…"

"A weapon."

I look down. The zip is open and one of the prongs curving outwards from the hilt of my Sai is poking out. I bite my lip. I really shouldn't have brought these along.

I empty my bag, because I know that's what he expects me to do. Wrapped vials of Wei-san's medicines, bandages, liniment, a biography about a Japanese female warrior, six empty water bottles, tons of rice crackers, and a large packet of beef jerky. I take out my Sai the last and hand them over to Batman sheepishly.

"Very fine daggers," Batman says, inspecting the weapons from tip to end. "Almost in mint condition. The hilts are clean. You haven't been using them for long."

"Yeah but I got the hang of them…" I lie through my teeth.

"Fight me, then."

My eyes fly open in alarm. "No, _wait_ —!"

Batman's fist propels towards my face. Instinctively I drop the weapons and block it with my two arms. A kick comes for my waist but as I stop it my chin explodes in pain from a vicious uppercut. I growl in frustration and get ready again. He dodges all my punches but then I jump and rotate, my leg colliding with the side of his face. He recovers quickly and throws these shuriken-lookalikes at me. His yellow belt sure has some interesting doohickeys.

I avoid them all but the fleeting moment of distraction cost me my face. I fall back on my bottom, the impact of Batman's fist knocking me off balance. My cheek swells as I hiss in pain. And when I look up I see the glint of my Sai right between my eyes.

"W-What are you doing?" I exclaim.

"You're not experienced with the Sai. They're not yours. Where did you get them? Did you steal them?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" A voice in my mind whispers, _but you did steal them_. "I…well…"

"Tell me the _truth_ , Tomoe." He says in his gravelly voice, helping me back up on my feet. I rub my arm, looking down at my shuffling feet. My voice comes out sounding like a child who's been caught lying.

"They…aren't mine. Well, they _were_ going to be," I sigh. "This was the prized possession of my family. They were _supposed_ to be given to me when I turn ripe enough to slay the dragons but the time wasn't going to come ever. In the rush of escaping Japan I had only a few minutes to grab my belongings. When I saw the Sai in the glass case, perfectly untouched and _waiting_ I couldn't help myself. So I took them with me. And ever since then I felt that it was wrong. The Sai were supposed to be for someone my parents were proud of. Not me. I don't feel right using them."

"You have to put that _behind_ you. Stop living in the shadows of the actions you regret. This weapon, if it were the prized possession of your family, it's in the right hands. You don't have to earn them by doing what your parents demanded you of. You merited them because you had done what _you're_ proud of. All you have to do next is appreciate it, learn it."

A smile cracks onto my face. There's no emotion in Batman's eyes or words but I know he means them well. He gently places the Sai in my hands. I gaze back at the nut-brown eyes in the reflection of one of the blades. The name of our family is carved into each hilt.

Did I really deserve to carry that name?

Even when I know I tarnished it?

* * *

Batman insisted I have to start practicing right away. He said there was no use of a weapon if it were in the hands of a maladroit wielder. And my lack of adroitness with the Sai is a hindrance. After demonstrating his very impressive martial arts, he's proved to me that he's more than qualified to teach me.

So now, I'm training.

With _Batman_.

It's been hours, with five-minute breaks in between.

Our weapons clash and push. Batman's katana is a mighty fine one with its long curved blade that shone with competence. I bring my pair of Sai together to shield myself as he presses harder. I kick him in the abdomen while he's focused and he staggers backwards.

"I know, I know, it's not fair." I say sheepishly.

"Keep going." He orders and charges at me once more.

"You're focusing too much on your body," Batman says, dodging my elbow. "You're still not regarding your Sai as your main munition. Having variety in your combat skills is good but sometimes—"

His katana slices past my shoulder and pulls back in. I glimpse a few strands of my black hair fall around my shirt. He strikes down my Sai with his katana and when I reach down to retrieve them I feel the cold edge of his blade on my neck.

"Don't neglect that they can do most damage! People will always try to disarm you and the second you try to pick them back up you're dead already."

"Got it," I murmur as he walks away. "What time is it? Night already?"

"10:42 PM. Take a rest, it has been several hours. You're staying with Jason, am I right?"

"Yeah…it was very nice of him to offer."

Batman sheathes his katana. "I'm proud of him and who he has become. I hope you two can be good partners…and good friends."

I furrow my eyebrows. The way he says it feels like Jason hasn't _always_ been a good person. But I shake it off and nod. "I hope so too."

"Hey, Tomoe, Batman,"

Speak of the devil…

"Hey, Jason," I say, untying my hair from the bun. "You're heading back?"

"Yeah, you ready?" He looks over at Batman. "Were you training her?"

"Yes, she has to be ready for whatever's coming," He answers. "You're a fast learner, Tomoe, but keep practicing in your own time. Soon you'll finesse your prowess with the Sai."

"Thank you, Batman," I say gratefully. "I'll keep your words in mind."

Jason and I leave the Batcave and Wayne Manor together. While I finish my bottle of orange juice from kind Alfred, he studies the craftsmanship of my Sai. We're walking under the dim streetlights that hardly illuminated the quiet streets.

But it isn't so quiet.

"Jason? I hear someone following us." I say, stopping him. "And give them back to me."

"Someone we should worry about?" He says and reaches for his guns.

"Petty crooks by the look of them," I sigh. "Can I take care of it?"

"Be my guest." He says and leans against the wall of a store, in the shadows.

I turn around and walk into the light. A small, skinny guy with a face reformed by meth and a burly guy wearing what looks like a black trash bag over his face approach us. I put on a face of fear.

"Give them bag over here or I'll shoot you!"

"Oh, no!" I cry. " _Please_ , take whatever you want!"

I hold out my bag.

"Heh! How easy can this—" The lanky one grabs for my bag. My hand comes down on his wrist in a swift chop and he screams in pain. I kick the gun out of his other hand and it smacks his companion in the face.

"Hey. Hey, buddy?" I call for the bigger guy as he groans, clutching his face. "Look over here a bit."

He looks up. I snatch the screaming one by the collar with both hands. A sharp fling and the two of them go flying into a pole. Upon impact with the metal the bigger one is out cold but the smaller one scrambles to his feet and runs, his sack-like jeans sagging around his ankles.

I laugh. Why do I get so much enjoyment out of this?

"Hey, Tomoe, sorry to interrupt your happy moment but look over there." Jason says.

In the distance, on a grassy surface we sight soft, green light. We exchange looks. We cross the road and study the situation silently behind a building. Green glows usually mean aliens, weird stones, or…

Witches.

A cloaked figure has its back to us. I notice it's a woman from the pumps barely visible under her robes. At her feet before her is a bright green substance worming furiously into the earth. Her hands go into unambiguous motions. I don't have to watch a second longer to know she's casting a spell. I know it's something bad happening but yet we're planted to the ground, transfixed.

 _Could it be?_

 _…_ _No. The height and the build isn't the same. It's not her…_

I hear her murmuring. Her fingers start to emit dark red wisps that sink along after the mysterious green substance and that's when I snap out of it. I give Jason a push and nod at him. He nods back.

We rush towards the woman.

"Stop whatever you're doing." Jason orders, his guns at the ready.

She puts her hands down. Her back is to me so I don't see her face. Her hands reach up to remove her cloak. I see Jason's eyes glaze over and stare dead.

"Who are you? Look at me!" I bark.

She turns to me. Her face is very old but still lined with westerner appeal. Her hair is the same color as the silver moonlight that bathed her head. Her eyes are tense sapphires that never left mine. Why do I…feel so _weak_ just from her look?

"Fall impuissant to the gaze of the Thaumaturge." She whispers just audible enough for us to catch. I blink rapidly. I want to move but I can't. She throws the cloak back over her head but it eats her, down to her toes, and she's gone.

"What on—" Jason comes to my side. "—Earth was _that_?"

"I-I don't know but…" I gulp. "I think I know…what this could mean."

Jason looks at me, waiting for me to continue. My tongue feels knotted but the words are there. I just have to open my mouth. If I truly believe this it could be that I'm fooled again. Or I could be right.

"I think Wei-can could be innocent," I blurt out. Before Jason can sigh I say, "Think about it, Jason. She's a witch too. What are the odds that two witches decide they want to destroy Gotham? I mean, just—"

"I get it but…I don't _think_ so," He says hesitantly. "You felt her. You felt _Wei Zhihao_ at the toy store, didn't you? This _other_ witch feels completely different. To me. There's an aura but it's not as distinct."

"But—"

"I'm _sorry_ , Tomoe," He says more firmly. "But I know they are two different people. You can't let your wishes cloud your judgment. Just focus on finding Wei Zhihao and then we'll find out more about the other one. We don't have proof that she has done anything harmful so she's not top priority."

His words ring truth but I'm hoping against hope. I know it's an impossibly slim chance Wei-san isn't responsible for the recent atrocities in Gotham but I can't tell myself to not swallow it.

"Let's head back to the hotel and sleep it off. We can tell Batman about it in the morning." He says and pulls on my arm.

When we get in the hotel I jump onto the couch and face the other way. My bag lies in a corner of the room. I kick my boots off and push a pillow to my face. I sense Jason standing over me but I don't acknowledge him. I _do_ want to sleep it off.

"Hey, come on," He says, trying to remove the pillow but I hug it tighter. "The bed's yours. Get up."

My insiders burn at his kindness. I don't even deserve it. I always seem to exasperate him.

"Why are you being so nice? I'm being such a freaking _brat_ , trying to convince you, trying to convince _myself_ that—"

"Okay, stop it, Tomoe," He says. "I'm being nice because I know it's hard for you. And if you're thinking Batman told me to put up with you, it's not him. It's me. I know how it feels to feel _alone_. That's why we get along."

"Maybe if you told me something about yourself I'd feel better," I say, removing the pillow from my face. I stare at him. His mask is off, his hair is a mess.

"Well, I—"

"I already told you practically everything about my life."

"You're open, _I'm_ not."

"Is it really hard to talk about? A small piece of your past I can _maybe_ relate to?"

"No—well, _yes_ , Tomoe," He sighs as I stare at him. He sits at the corner of the couch, by my feet. "It's just that…my past isn't the most pleasant. I still regret it to this day."

"Then _try_ to tell me. I promise I won't judge. I'll listen. Like you listened to _me_." I insist.

"Alright but you have to sleep on the bed. You look crazy uncomfortable."

"No, I'm not," I scowl but get off anyway. I sit on the bed and look at him, waiting for him to speak. "You sit too."

He smiles a little and does so. "I'm not so sure where to start."

"Maybe the beginning." I suggest sarcastically.

"That'd be too long. But I'll just summarize," He shrugs. "So…I was a boy. My mother died, I didn't know where my father was, and I was on my own, in an abandoned, filthy, tiny apartment room. I stole to get by. I smoked even in my young age. It was a rough, tough life. More than once I slept out on the sidewalk with an empty stomach. Until one day I spotted the Batmobile, Batman's awesome ride in Crime Alley. I knew he was this crime fighter every crook was scared of but it didn't stop me from stealing his tires. He caught me anyway and followed me back to my "home". He left me in the hands of an old woman called Ma Gunn, in her school for boys. I thought I was getting somewhere in life but that woman was teaching not Algebra or Science but about guns and methods of murder. And blah blah blah, I'm suddenly Robin, Batman's partner. They were the happiest moments of my life fighting crime alongside _the_ Batman."

I see the way his eyes glimmer; he's getting lost in his own precious memories, like when I talk about mines. I slowly lie back down and continue to listen, as if I'm a child hearing a bedtime story.

"—But…Batman…he didn't approve of my ways. Even as a teenager I was unforgiving to criminals. I always did more than throw a punch and a kick. I guess you could say I was unrelenting, almost out of control. Very two-fisted. I knew then Batman was having second thoughts about me and then blah blah blah…I…lost my way."

"What happened?"

"I became an _antihero_ , did things he couldn't and wouldn't. I was consumed by rage, distress, confusion, I _just_ —"

His eyes close, cutting himself off short. His gloved fingers tighten over the top of his helmet and then up to his forehead. It's paining him to talk about the ordeal. With feelings so dark and unresolved Jason is clearly still living in the shadow of his faults. I really wish I could do something and all I can do is listen but he obviously doesn't want to speak of it anymore.

"Please, you don't have to continue. Lie down for a while. I'm really sorry," I make him rest on the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was for him to remember his worst days. "Sleep now."

I get off the bed and proceed to walk to the couch but I hear his voice call me back.

"The deal was for you to take the bed and I tell you my story."

"Oh, Jason—"

"We'll share."

I pause. "Okay."

I crawl back in and lie down next to him. It's probably stupid to ask but— "Are you okay, Jason?"

I hear him breathe out. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I'm sorry I made you talk about it. I won't ask again."

"No, it's okay, Tomoe. It really is."

I have a feeling there's much more to his story than what he told me. But it's not my business to pry into so I forget the questions in my head.

I reach over to the nightstand and switch off the lights. I swivel my head and look at his face, half illumed by the soft moonlight pouring from the large windows. His eyes are limpid, pensive pools in the shadows. I turn my back to him and sigh.

Now both of us will be kept up all night.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Confused about the plot? Enjoyed it? Please review!**


	8. Detective Work

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Seven:**

 ** _Detective Work_**

* * *

I don't know what I'm hugging but it's really soft. My mind is awake but my body isn't. I want to open my eyes and see what I have my arms and legs wrapped around but my eyelids are glued shut. Of course, until whatever I was clinging onto moved an inch.

My eyes snap open.

 _It's Jason's freaking leg._

I slowly move my head up to see if he's awake. He's not, thank god. Or at least I think he's not. I feel my face grow a little hot. How much have I been moving in the night to end up like this? It could have been one of the pillows. I remove my legs first but my right one is beneath Jason's so I have to be careful. I certainly don't want him waking up and seeing me down here. Once both my feet are free I unwrap my arms from around his thigh.

I think if I'm faster, the lesser the movement. And so I swipe the rest of my right arm from under his thigh. In the next second, my next _blink_ , I'm staring into the barrel of a gun. I sat up too abruptly at the foot of the bed, making it dip at my weight, and I topple backwards and off. Rubbing my head I look up at Jason.

"Tomoe? What—What the _hell_ were you doing?" He asks gruffly, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "I almost shot you. Were you…were you _hugging_ my leg?"

"I didn't want to wake you up," I say, embarrassed. "I swear I didn't do it on purpose, I woke up in that posi—"

Jason snorts, tossing his gun on the bed.

"Yeah right."

* * *

"So, ready to lay out everything you know about Wei Zhihao to Batman?" Jason asks as we dress. He wears his outfit facing the closet and I wear my outfit facing the TV. I insisted.

"I guess?" I say, pushing my hair out of the collar. "Oh, crap, I haven't thought of my alias."

"You can just give him a random name for now, he won't judge."

"Funny because I think that's exactly what he does," I say, remembering the way he scrutinized my stance last night.

"I mean, unless you go for something stupid like Dragon Lassie."

" _You_ suggested the name."

"Can I turn around now?" He sighs.

"Oh yeah, sorry," I say. He turns around, arms crossed. " _What_?"

"We should really stop doing this. You should grow up."

I glare at him. "We're the same age, same level of _maturity_ ("Yeah right.") but I'm not experienced. If it really bothers you, I'll just change in the bathroom, no problem."

"Experienced what? Seeing the naked male body?"

"Yes! I don't change in front of anyone, not even girls."

"What, you're insecure about the way you look or something?"

"No! I'm perfectly content with the way I look. Growing up as the only child in a place where exposure to the… _possibilities_ between the opposite sexes is discouraged, I can't _help_ it."

"Doesn't sleeping in the same bed with the _opposite sex_ violate your _conventions_?"

" _You_ made _me_ share the bed with you. And it was nothing indecent."

"You were _groping_ me. Did you molest me in my sleep, Tomoe?"

"No! I wasn't groping! And I didn't _molest_ you so stop with the jokes, you jerk."

"Geez. I don't know many girls that would pass up the chance to see this _ripped_ body." He shrugs his shoulders, like it's a real pity. I shake my head.

"After you watched me undress the night we met, I don't feel very comfortable hearing your dirty _nonsense_."

"I said I _didn't_. I'm a man of good character and decency."

"You'd only feel the need to point it out if you had actually done it."

"Hey, keep calling me a pervert and I might just become one."

* * *

Jason and I eat breakfast down at the buffet in the hotel. Just as we sit down with our plates of food he decides to inform Batman of our strange encounter with the witch last night. I cut up my pancakes as he talks into the comm link.

"Yeah, we didn't put up a fight. It was weird, Bruce, like one look from her just froze us…no, not ice—thank god—she _immobilized_ us. She was whispering some words that sounded like a spell and she was somewhat controlling this green thing digging into the soil. Maybe she wanted to plant a couple of giant beanstalks—yeah sorry, that wasn't funny…With Tim? Sure…Yeah, I'll tell her. See you."

He ends the call and begins buttering his bread.

"Well, what is it?" I ask.

"Oh, right. Bruce wants me to check out the spot where we met the witch. He said she could be associated with Wei Zhihao. If we find her it might just be a step closer to Zhihao. So Tim and I are going to head there and you are going to Batman to tell him some interesting facts about our foe."

I frown. "She's not _my_ foe, Jason."

He looks at me, also frowning. "Tomoe—"

"Not until I hear her out."

I mop the last drop of maple syrup with the last piece of pancake. "Not with Nightwing this time?"

"He got business to deal with today. His business."

"What does he do, anyway?"

"Superspy, secret agent, that line of work."

"Cool."

"You done?" He says, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Yup," I say and swallow the last of my omelet. "See you whenever."

We both exit the hotel and go on our separate ways.

* * *

"Good morning, Batman!" I yell as I trot down the stairs to the Batcave. I'm being loud on purpose so that he just appears like a normal person, not sneak up behind me. "I'm here- _ahhh_!"

"You're early," He comments, moving around me and towards the computer. I sigh, trying to calm my heartbeat. I really should start getting used to this. "So what is the name the people of Gotham can refer to you as?"

"Um, yes…I'm…Dragon… _Girl_. Dragon Girl." I cough.

Batman is silent for a few seconds. "…You haven't thought of it, have you?"

"Sorry, it's hard."

"It really isn't. Are you ready to talk?"

"Uh, yup. Where should I start?" I say. He slides into the seat and opens a folder named Wei Zhihao. The only data on her is that she's a witch.

"Where is she from?"

"Kunlun Shan, Xinjiang, China."

"How long has it been since she made herself a home there?"

"She never told me."

"You said she uses her magic for good. What do you mean? What does she do for a living?"

"She sells her bewitched objects, elixirs, and medicine to the people of China. Whenever we get sick she whips up a cure. When I got bitten and poisoned by a dangerous reptile I hid it from her because she was working too hard. I didn't bother her but she found out anyway. All she ever asked of me in return for the shelter and food was that I fetch her the ingredients she needs. That's all."

"And what kind of ingredients did she require?"

"Um, all sorts of things. Very specific. She thinks very carefully about her concoctions and when I don't get precisely what she asks for she would just abandon the brew altogether. She would ask for toadstools, plants, herbs, hair, spices, shells, soil, stones, feathers, fruits—"

"Anything lethal?"

"Well…I— _no_ but um, how do I put this? It's just another component to the mixture, y'know? She doesn't make it to kill; she just wants a particular _aspect_ of it. Usually just the neuroleptic, analgesic, or psychedelic elements."

"How exactly does she _extract_ the element she needs?"

"She never really…answered the question. She only said her mind is her magic."

Batman ponders for a while, his finger stroking his chin. "Her mind is her magic…alright, is she susceptible to anything?"

"Yes, she's vulnerable to diseases and sicknesses, common or rare."

"Small wonder she's always making medicine."

"Whenever she catches a cold or an influenza she makes it top priority to cure it at once. Her magic doesn't work if she's completely debilitated."

"But she said her _mind_ is her magic. A cold and flu are not psychiatric illnesses. How is she not able to use her magic?"

"I'm not sure…maybe her body produces the magic but her mind has influence over it. There's a connection."

"Makes sense. Say, is it the coldness itself or the viral _infection_ that really gets to her? _If_ I am to lock her up in a freezer would it have any damage to her magical abilities right away?"

"Both. Literally anything that incapacitates her. And it takes quite some time. Her body will start giving into the change of temperature or the proliferation of the virus and after it _really_ kicks into her system, boom—she's powerless."

"I see. That must be the drawback. Moving on, let's talk about her intentions—"

"About that, I don't know if I can help you, I don't kno—"

"Just answer a few questions," He says as he finishes typing intelligence into the computer. "Do you remember the last days you spent with her before she left?"

"Y-Yes…" The memories come flooding back. "She was…disconcerted and confused…

* * *

 _The dragons and I were out gliding through wispy clouds across the wild peach yonder for some fresh air. I stopped by at the village market to get some dim sum for a special dinner treat and even took the time to get myself a new outfit. I tore my favorite red one on a rock while on a task. By the time I returned the sun was sinking behind the hills._

 _Wei-san had been sitting at the kitchen table, bent over pieces of paper since the afternoon. Seeing her in the same position worried me. While I put the kettle to boil and took out cups I glanced over at her. She scribbled a little then stopped and balled it up._

 _"_ _Anything I can help you with?" I offered, placing the cups of hot tea on the table._

 _"_ _Oh, no, my dear," She sighed, tucking a grey lock behind her ear. "It's a little conundrum I have to resolve myself."_

 _"_ _What's it about?"_

 _"_ _Just something I've been trying to piece for quite a while," She murmured into her cup. "Nothing important."_

 _"_ _Okay, then," I decided to drop it. "Want dim sum?"_

 _"_ _Yes, thank you," She smiled and cleared away her notes. "What's in those bags, hmm?"_

 _"_ _I hope you don't mind, Wei-san," I said, taking the outfit out of the bag. "I got myself something to wear."_

 _"_ _It's beautiful," She said. "Lovely shade of purple and the embroidery is exquisite."_

 _"_ _Glad you like it." I grinned and—_

* * *

"Snap out of it, Tomoe."

I blink. I look at Batman. I almost forgot I was in the Batcave, telling him what I know about Wei-san. "Sorry…I do remember the last few days. She was writing something and she didn't tell me what it was about or let me help."

"Where did she keep them?"

"I don't know, Batman, I don't pry into her privacy."

"It's time you should start. The day she left China, you did not think once of a correlation between her disappearance and the notes?"

"I was worried _sick_ , Batman. All I had on my mind was her safety. I couldn't think straight and even if I had, what was I supposed to _infer_ upon just seeing the notes?"

"Maybe if you had been more observant—"

"Sorry, but I'm not like you, Batman," I frown. "She made it clear the notes were only _her_ business. So I left it at that. If you're telling me this whole situation could have been avoided if I jumped to a conclusion back th—"

"That is not what I'm saying. I'm _saying_ even if you wanted to respect her privacy, you could have been more concerned about her wellbeing at least, if that had been part of the case. She is old, is she not? All sorts of things could have been wrong with her."

"Oh, I think she's just _fine_ ," I tighten my mouth.

"I'm trying to get help from you in trying to find out her intentions by _listening_ to the moments you share with her. This is what I do, _link_ events, actions, _feelings_ , _words_ ," He turns from his computer and faces me. He scrutinizes me through his cowl. "Are you going to help me with that, Tomoe?"

I stare back at him apologetically. I guess I wasn't as _over this_ as I thought.

"Okay…okay," I breathe deeply. "I'm sorry. I'm letting my emotions cloud my thinking. I'll help you, Batman."

He nods. "I'm glad you understand. Continuing, has she ever been upset about anything? Angry?"

"One time…" I frown upon the memory. "It was just a couple of months ago, if I remember right. She was talking about how much trouble the villagers were giving her."

"How? You said she sells her work to the village, right?"

"Yes but it's all hush-hush, y'know? She doesn't have a giant company or even a small one, it's just her…there for those who need her."

"Like a drug dealer," Batman leans back in his chair. "This smells suspicious. Shouldn't someone with such extraordinary magic be happy to promote her products in the city even?"

"No, she was very… _clandestine_. She said people wouldn't understand her magic."

"Because whatever she was doing was illicit and going public would mean a security check?"

I don't say anything. Batman is incredible. The man is calculating faster than I would have ever on my own. The questions I never thought of asking are surfacing.

"She…She always wore a cloak whenever she went out," I say. "I always assumed it was simply her travelling cloak but…if she really was doing something illegal—"

"She had to stay hidden…" Batman muses. "Has she ever told you about her history? How is that she's all alone in between those mountains?"

"She said her husband died and she couldn't bear to continue living in their house, in the city. So she used some of the money she and her husband shared to make herself a little home away from the rest of Xinjiang."

"That could be a lie," Batman says. "Everything she told you could be a lie."

"I hope not all of them are…" I say, touching the necklace.

"What did she say to you?"

I close my eyes. I see her benign face in the blackness, the crinkles around her eyes as she smiles. I quiver. The remembrance of her hug felt so real I almost feel her arms around me.

"It's…nothing."

* * *

After we're done, Batman tries to contact Tim and Jason to update us on what they've found but they're clueless. He turns on the speakers so that we both can hear them.

' _We got nothing, Batman_ ,' Jason speaks. ' _I remember the exact spot the green thing crawled into but it's not there. I dug it up deep enough_.'

"Where's Tim?"

' _I told him everything about what she said to us last night. He ran off and told me to stay here and continue investigating_.'

"You didn't tell _me_ everything, Jason. What did she say?"

' _Well, she called herself the Thaumaturge_ —'

" _Thaumaturge_?" Batman repeats. "A worker of wonders…performer of miracles…I remember her."

"Who is she?" I ask.

"An old magician with a blemished status. She was renowned for her fantastic shows back in the days until she took a bad turn in her life. When I caught her, she was working with Joker, another criminal, to produce clown toys that can suck the life out of the buyer and into the toy. It was beyond the Joker and the procedure was only half done, for I intercepted. I don't know whether he blackmailed her or threatened her but she was in on it. It was only a few months after she retired. Not long after that she worked with other malefactors of the underworld and each time I exposed her. Her last deal was with Penguin and she's been off the radar for several years."

"She was never imprisoned?"

"I couldn't chase her down. She teleports her way in and out. She's never murdered or hurt anybody herself directly, just lent a hand to the crime lords. I don't know why she "retired" but it could simply be because she's getting old or she had a change of heart."

"Do you think she's helping Wei-san?"

"Likely," Batman says. "When Tim comes back we'll discuss what we do next."

* * *

It's evening when Tim returns to the Batcave. Jason, Batman, Robin, and I study over every bit of intel we have on the Thaumaturge. I can't predict what we do next but Batman seems to have everything laid out in his head.

"Tim, where have you been?" I ask.

"I went looking for her trailer. I would pass by it every time I walked to school and stop for a while to admire the flashy sign and furbelows. I thought maybe there's something left behind but there's nothing. I've been to one of her shows as a young child," Tim explains. "I believe it was her last. Though I enjoyed it tremendously, until today, I still remember how tired she looked."

"But why would she turn to crime instead of retiring for good?" Robin raises his eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter why now. Let's link her to Wei Zhihao…" Batman turns to the computer. "The Chinese witch may have an ulterior motive behind her _destructive sojourn_ in Gotham. She could be here to look for the Thaumaturge."

"Because…" I remember the way Wei-san looked days before she left. "Because she shouldn't figure something out herself."

"Possibly," Tim says. "But what did she need help with?"

"That's one thing that doesn't add up. She's been responsible for _certain_ events in this city but how does that benefit her?"

"If we find the notes we'll know," I suggest. "But she might be carrying them on her."

"Maybe not. Her decision to come here and find the Thaumaturge was a deduction, if she had trouble thinking of what to do. Wei Zhihao doesn't need her notes if she'll get her answers from her. Be that as it may, it's worth looking."

"So what are we doing? Going to China?"

"Exactly."


	9. Godspeed

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Eight:**

 ** _Godspeed_**

* * *

A trip back home.

One of them will have to come along to make sure things go smoothly, Batman said, but he made it clear we have to get every bit of information we need out of the house, meaning our expedition is not only to grab the notes but to do some thorough detective work. Batman told me in person that Jason will not be accompanying me because he's more of a fighter, not quite a patient investigator and was considering Tim. But then Tim, having the most knowledge on the Thaumaturge, will be better off staying in Gotham. Nightwing isn't available, he said, because he's busy with his job so now it's down to Robin and Batman himself.

"Robin? Do you want to go or should I?" Batman asks, giving him a choice.

"Oh, I have a _say_ in this," Robin says, pretending to look surprised. "If you want me to go, Batman, just say so."

I almost laugh at the way Batman's lips curl in annoyance but I know better.

"Robin, accompany Tomoe to China. Carry out an in-depth investigation and come back with a deduction. Do you understand?"

"Got it," He says. "When do we go?"

"Tomorrow, early morning," Batman says. "Be ready."

"Great, let me just tell Moretsuna and Gankona. You're okay with riding the dragons, right?" I ask Robin.

"Of course." He scoffs but I see a bit of excitement.

"Awesome, we got everything down," Jason says, stretching. "Now let's get some dinner."

* * *

 _When I finally got the dragon eggs safely down the hill, a tiny, secluded cottage came in sight. I smelt sauté shiitake mushrooms through the open front door and my stomach turned over in hunger. I expected the little old lady to stare at the eggs and probably run back in and lock her house up but she helped me carry them inside her home._

 _It was a snug place that warmed me right to the bones. The living room consisted of two couches and one rocking chair. There's a bookshelf by the lamp, filled with many novels and tomes. There were cupboards everywhere, some opened, some closed. Glass jars, cups, vials, and containers held bizarre looking substances while some other were sealed or wrapped. Ledges stuck out of the walls, bearing vases, traditional statuettes, and more receptacles casing tubes and funnels._

 _There was an atmosphere in the house that hit me right away. She'd made this her home, an embodiment of herself. She got me comfortable at the dinner table where my mouth watered at the cornucopia of steamed dumplings, fried tofu, and the sizzling shiitake mushrooms. She got out another plate and I helped myself heartily._

 _I thanked her in Japanese. And to my surprise, she replied,_

 _"_ _[You're welcome.]"_

 _"_ _[You also speak Japanese?]"_

 _"_ _[Also English and Korean,]" She said. "[Though, my Japanese could use some polishing. While you are here you might as well learn English and Chinese. Don't worry, I am a good teacher.]"_

 _"_ _[Y-You're letting me stay here?]" I asked, almost choking on the vegetables._

 _"_ _[Unless you have somewhere to reside, yes.]"_

 _"_ _[I don't really…my name is Tomoe Namakettei, by the way.]"_

 _"_ _[Wei Zhihao, at your service.]"_

* * *

"Get up. Now."

There's a sharp jab at my side but I groan and turn over. It could be a criminal for all I care, I'm dead tired and I need all the sleep I can get for the departure in the morning. Which apparently, is right now.

"Stop it, Jason!" I growl into my pillow. "I'll _kill_ you if—"

"Uh, Tomoe, it's _Robin_." I hear Jason say next to me.

I bolt upright. I don't need Robin having another reason to hate me as he now sees me sleeping in the same bed with Jason. We both agreed that we could share the bed in peace if I'll try harder not to attach myself to his body parts again.

Jason is already awake and it's still so dark I can barely see their faces. The lights snap open and I hiss, my eyes stinging.

"Robin, I thought Batman said early morning," I say, covering my eyes.

"It's 4:00 AM," He grunts. "Soaring in the air mounted on dragons in _broad daylight_ isn't something Gotham City will take lightly. Now hurry up and get dressed."

I roll my eyes, grab my bag, and slam the bathroom door behind me. I wash my face with hot water and give it a few, hard slaps. After finishing my personal hygiene routine, I dress myself with the violet top I bought not long before I left China. It has a black adjustable band that rings around from my collarbone to my nape. There's a gleaming set of ornamental buttons shaped as tiny golden florets I really like. I pull on my usual pair of black, closefitting pants and try to brush the knots out of hair. As I do so, I can hear the faint voices of Robin and Jason talking in the other room. I edge closer to the bathroom door and eavesdrop.

"Do you _always_ do this?" It's Robin.

"Do _what_?"

"Fool around. Philander."

"Great, you too. Look, I'm not gonna explain my life to a _kid_."

"Call me a kid one more time and you are _dead_ , Todd. _Again_."

"I'll tell your daddy."

"Suck-up."

"Robin, I don't know what _philander_ means but trust me, he isn't doing _any_ of that sort," I sniff, exiting the bathroom, still combing my hair. "Gee, where did I kick my shoes?"

"Check the corners," Jason snorts. "They're in a different one each night."

"Nope, they're under the bed." I sigh.

When I get back on my booted feet, Dokutokuna is already there, by Robin. I give him a look. He's hardly here unless that little mean boy is around.

"Yeah, don't appreciate the person that feeds you," I scoff. "It's _fine_."

Robin smirks a big, smug smirk.

"I'm hungry, Robin, can I eat something before we leave?" I ask, pulling on my boots and slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"No." He says and puts one foot out the window.

" _Ass_." I murmur.

"Amen," Jason says, upon hearing. "Try not to tear each other apart on your little trip."

" _I'll_ try, I don't know about _him_ ," I make a face and follow Robin. "How do we get to a high surface? It's obviously a bad idea to climb the hotel wall."

"Here, I brought a spare grapnel gun," He says and throws me a device. "A balustrade is enclosing that roof over there. Make sure the clamp here secures behind the balusters."

I squint and aim for the balustrade around the roof. I pull the trigger and the cord, attached to some kind of bat shaped clamp, shoots up into the darkness. Just before I lift both feet off the windowsill I turn my head and wave at Jason.

"See ya, jerk."

"Bring back some Chinese food. Chow mein or something."

"We're not going on a vacation." Robin grunts and lets go of the window. The strong cord pulls him towards the balustrade and he jumps easily over the columns.

"He's _agile_ ," I say, almost forgetting what I'm doing.

"And waiting for you," Jason yawns, poking me in the back. "Godspeed, my friend."

And so I lift my feet and let the cord take me. When I land next to Robin, Dokutokuna reappears on his shoulder.

"[Did you tell them?]" I ask the little purple dragon, trying not to glare.

He nods.

"[Great, because we don't need a grumpy Moretsuna on our hands.]" I say and hold out my arms. My tattoos glow and Moretsuna and Gankona make their way out. The coils of their silhouette bodies seem to block out the moon.

"[Hey, guys, this is Robin. He's a friend. Don't hurt him…unless I say so.]" I snigger. Robin shoots me a look, as if he understood what I said.

I make them float just above the surface of the roof and assist us in climbing over their bodies. They use their tails to help and once I get onto Gankona I watch Robin. He seems hesitant to step on Moretsuna's tail.

"If you're worried about hurting him, it's nothing. You see the long, sharp projections from the ends of their tail? They're all bone. So trust me, they can take your weight if they can take mine." I smile, stroking Gankona's ice blue scales.

Robin steps onto Moretsuna's tail and is lifted onto his back. I can see the glint of fascination in his eyes.

"[Up!]" I announce and they rise into the sky. "[Take us to Kunlun Shan!]"

And we go.

The atmosphere wraps around us like cold breath. I let the air lace and blow through my hair. I look across and see Robin not even using the spikes protruding from Moretsuna's scales as handhold but flinging his arms out to his sides. As we get higher and higher they slow down to a relaxed pace. I gaze below at the city; possibly at the only moment it seems to look the most _innocent_. It's not night, when the city is consumed and dominated by the twisted underworld, not day, when the city seems to radiate freedom, sound with bustle, and bask in its own sumptuous beauty. I haven't even been here long enough to judge but Gotham City is a veiled face in the waking hours. I'll never underestimate it.

It's going to be a long journey.

I put my head down and lift my legs up onto Gankona to take a nap. The wind whistles softly into my ears as I lose myself to sweet slumber.

* * *

I didn't sleep for long. The first rays of sunshine rouse me and I sit up to admire the brightening of the day. As the sun continues to rise in the horizon, light flashes across the land we're flying above. I can hardly see through the thick veils of cloud but the splash of colors on the sleepy, achromatic city is quite magical.

 _[Gankona, Moretsuna, can we go a little higher? And faster?]_

I fear we might be too visible, even if the clouds are hiding us. I glance at Robin to see if he's sleeping but he's up and focused. I wonder if the word 'rest' exists in his dictionary.

Gankona flies close to Moretsuna and I lean over to talk to Robin.

"Hey, you might want to sleep," I tell him.

"I'm fine with doing what I want."

"I'm just being nice."

"Don't need that either."

I narrow my eyes. I address Moretsuna in my head. _[Moretsuna, spin.]_

And he spins. Robin gives a small yell of alarm and his hands reach out for hold as Moretsuna loops and loops like a brilliant red helix. Robin jerks violently side to side, back and forth, his shiny black cape thrashing behind him.

 _[Okay, okay, you can stop now.]_ I laugh. Moretsuna stops shaking and spinning and Robin flops back in the middle. He rubs his head, gritting his teeth.

" _What was that_?!" He barks at me.

"A little lesson," I scowl. "Don't be rude to those who are nice to you."

He grumbles incoherently but stops and reaches into his bag. My eyes light up and my stomach growls at what he brings out. A fat, wrapped ham and cheese sandwich.

I glare at Dokutokuna, who cuddles up to Robin as he sees the food. Oh, god. I'm starving. I'll jump for it if I have to. My insides curl and burn at the way he slowly peels the plastic film off the edges of the sandwich. Then he breaks off a small piece and pops it in Dokutokuna's mouth.

He really is an ass.

Even if his affection is reserved for animals and magical creatures only.

Robin looks at me and another giant smirk slaps onto his face as he pulls at the bread. He opens his bag again and takes out a bag of chips. I look away because I'm not giving a kid the pleasure of tormenting me.

"Catch!" He shouts and the bag flies into the air. I reach for it even though it's too high up and with a sudden yank, I fall back and Gankona swallows up the bag in one go.

" _Gankona_!"

* * *

We've been flying for many hours now and it's already evening. Another sandwich Robin tossed to me _that I caught_ is long gone. I wish I could sleep some more but I feel like if I do, Robin might think I'm lazy. Yeah, sue me for worrying about what a kid thinks of me.

When I look across at him I get an idea. He's cleaning his katana. I reach over to my bag and pull out my Sai. I grin.

"Hey, Robin!" I call.

"What do you want?" He grunts as Moretsuna comes closer.

"Let's spar."

"On these dragons?" He raises his eyebrows. "I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you."

"We fought before, Robin, don't underestimate me," I say. "Because I don't think any less of you."

" _Hrrn_ ," He sounds. "On one dragon?"

"Yup," I say. "[Moretsuna, I'm gonna hop over, stay still.]"

And so I join him on Moretsuna, throwing the strap of my bag around one of his horns on his head. I allow Gankona to retreat into my tattoo so she can take a rest first. Robin and I brandish our weapons and face each other. Moretsuna is rocking slightly but it just adds to the fight.

I point down at the waters below. "Whoever hits the ocean first loses. Anything you want when you win?"

"You have to tell me about your life _before_ you went to China."

"If you wanted to know more about me you could just ask."

"No. It's not for that kind of purpose. I have to know whether I can _trust you_."

" _Wow_ , I'm going to act like that wasn't hurtful. If I win…"

"What?"

"You'll tell me your name."

He stares.

"That's _it_? That's all you want? My _name_?"

"Would you have given it to me if I had asked?"

" _No_."

"Exactly. Shall we?"

"We _shall_." He scoffs and holds out his sword in front of him.

He makes the first move. Of course, he's angry enough to try and fight me off Moretsuna the fastest he can. I can use that against him but as Batman told me, I can be quite sloppy.

Robin's blade makes contact with mine but I jerk my hand and one of the prongs cut him at the cheek. He wipes away the blood and steadies himself, his sword at the ready. Then he charges at me again. I put my Sai together in defense but to my surprise, he does a somersault over me and lands on his feet behind me. I can feel the point of his blade prod into my back deep enough to draw some blood. Without turning I bring my elbow down on his sword to give me some distance from him and give him a roundhouse blow around the face. A growl rips out of his mouth and his fist hurls toward my nose in a cuff.

"I guess we're not fighting fair anymore, heh?" I say, dodging. I throw a punch to his stomach but he strikes back with a perfectly timed hook to my chin. We both brandish our weapons again, trying to get a better foothold, and wait for the other to move first.

"A fight's never fair. It's only about the last one standing." He spits.

We run at each other at the same time and our weapons clash once more. I curse as I accidently use my Sai like a truncheon, which Batman commented I did often. The weakest part of the blade was the foible, the middle to the point, and it comes down ineffectively on Robin instead of aiming and thrusting forward. Batman said the forte, the strongest part of the blade from the hilt to the middle, produces more impact if used to inflict bruises. Robin easily parries but my knee slams into his midriff then his head crashes aggressively against mine, and we both stumble in pain. I'm not given time to recover as he knocks me off balance again with a rough kick to my ankles. My hands grasp the hilts of my Sai harder. He allows me to get back on my feet, the smirk on his face telling me he already thinks he's won.

I back away, dropping my Sai, then after getting a safe distance between us, I sprint. I drop my body low and slide through the gap between his legs, flattening myself as much as possible. I thought I wouldn't make it at first, for he was quite small but I managed. I grab and pull at his cape with both hands and to piss him off, I throw it over his head. My fists pound into his cloaked face and I laugh at his muffled growls. He delivers a blind blow that unfortunately catches me in my abdomen. Once his cape frees him he comes at me with full, truculent force again. The power of his arms backs up every downward lash of his katana so I have to dodge his elbow _then_ his sword. I thought that was quite strategic of him, because it's definitely throwing off my concentration. We're both nimble but his size makes it convenient for him to jump on the back of a dragon without a worry of falling. His boot sails into my face in a roundhouse kick that breaks my balance. My legs flies off and I feel wind rush around me. My Sai are at his feet. I can feel most of my body dangerously slipping off the side of Moretsuna and my fingers claw at his scales to hang on.

"Damn you," I grunt, my fingers losing hold. " _Arrrggh_ …"

With every second passing I try to calculate my chance of success in this fight. But with Damian smirking down at me, it's impossibly slim. I'll need a lot of shoulder and leg power if I want to get back up but I'd be foolish to think he'd give me the time.

Wait.

Moretsuna has sharp, curved projections on the underside of his body, but only in certain areas. I glance down imperceptibly. Dammit, they're a bit to my left, meaning I have move in this position _without_ Damian knowing what I'm up to.

Time to distract him.

"Well, you've won," I say. "I thought you would."

"A lot of self confidence you got there."

His sword lowers to my head and his boots hover over my fingers.

"You're just tough," I pretend to struggle again, trying to heave myself up but each time I inch a little to the left. I glance down again. "Well, the ocean looks…cold."

"It'll _freeze_ into your core alright," He says. "And then you'll tell me everything."

" _Everything_?" I move some more, trying my best to be imperceptible. "Do I also have to tell you every name of my friend in Japan?"

Okay, I only got _one_ shot at this. They're close enough now. It's all down to timing and swiftness. If I screw up, I'll be crashing into ice. All down to timing…

"I'm not interested in that." His boot crushes my fingers. Okay now that's just cruel.

"Well, I can't tell you anyway 'cause—" I let go and both of my hands lunge for the closest projection before I plummet. So that my fingers don't give away to my weight I move on from spike to spike until I reach the other side, hoping Robin is still facing where I "dropped". I use all the strength in my body and climb slowly and carefully over the curve of Moretsuna's body, trying to make no noise. My fingers sink into the rifts between each scale and once half my body is lifted, I boost my legs up and throw myself at Robin. " _I didn't have any_!"

I guess it was a bit stupid to hurtle like that on such a narrow surface area because the force I put into the push also pulled me along. We both fall off Moretsuna. Robin's cape and my hair flaps in my face as we plunge.

The real pain hits me when the ice-cold water envelops me and like Robin had said, freeze me to my core.


	10. Campfire Conversations

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Nine:**

 ** _Campfire Conversations_**

* * *

Before I freeze in the dark, frosty embrace of the ocean, I surface quickly and try to float on the surface. I look around for Robin, my teeth chattering and eyes stinging. He rises, gasping, his mask lopsided on his face. He pushes it back up hastily and spits out a jet of water.

"You g-go first," I say, slamming my palms to my ears.

" _Ttt_. It's Damian. But you still have to call me Robin."

"Usually an ordinary person has only one a-actual name, D-Damian, and I shall c-call you Damian. G-Got it, Damian?"

" _I'm_ not very _ordinary_ , if you can't see that already."

"R-Right, I see what you mean. You're _e-extraordinarily_ mean."

I wave my hand and call for Moretsuna, who's still up in the sky. When he dives for the Pacific Ocean he looks like a bolt of fire about to strike the earth. It reminds me of Jigoku Ryuu for a second. He almost drowns us as he plunges into the ocean with a tremendous crash. More waves engulf once again us but he scoops us up on his back. It feels like a rollercoaster, all the wind being knocked out of me as we just got out of water and now soaring.

Taking deep gulps of air, I look up at the sky as Moretsuna surveys for an island to rest on. Streaks of red paint the blue and gold sunset, the water below a rippling fulvous gradient. Although my entire body is thoroughly soaked and cold, it's a sight I can't miss. The expanse of the wild peach azure stretching to the corners of the world makes me feel small and insignificant but peacefully alone. Except I have Damian by my side, who is emptying his boots. A string of disjointed grumbles slips through his pursed lips.

"Damian, don't you ever like to appreciate the beauty of dawn and dusk?" I ask, wringing my hair.

"Of course," He says. "I even painted them."

" _What_?" I exclaim. "You _paint_?"

"I used to."

"Whoa," I say. "What else did you do?"

"I excel at playing the violin, chess, writing poetry, and also possessing mastery in forensics, geography, history—"

"Okay, is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"Be nice."

"Ah, that's one."

"You know," He says, putting his gloves back on. "You trust too easily."

"Is that so?"

I knew I would hear that from him.

"We hardly know each other. How do you know we're not just pretending to work with you so we can lock you and Wei Zhihao up in Arkham Asylum?"

" _Asylum_? That's a little extreme," I frown. "You're right. Maybe I don't know that. But you know why I trust you? Because if I don't, I can't trust anyone else in Gotham. You're crime fighters for god's sake."

"I kill people. How does that make you feel?"

"No, you don't."

"And how can you tell?"

"You just don't."

"I was brought up to be the top assassin. I was a planned, genetically impeccable offspring gestated and grown in an artificial womb. I was told I was put in a pool of water when I was first lifted. My mother wanted to test me, in such an undeveloped state but failure was implausible. I was a weapon created to destroy, if I had disappointed her _then_ I wouldn't be alive now. Do you think living in such environment, watched over by that wretched, _cold-blooded_ woman, wasn't capable enough of making me a killer? And a bastard?"

"I do think so...but you've changed, clearly. Who you are _now_ matters _now_. Where was your dad then?"

"Not there. He didn't even know I existed until we attacked Gotham."

" _Attacked_? Okay…and where is he now?"

"Gotham."

"And…you don't liv—he's Batman, isn't he?"

"Yes, you _dolt_."

"How the _hell_ was I supposed to jump to that conclusion if I might as well think Jason, Tim, and Nightwing are his sons too?"

"Well, they are. We're all his sons. I'll even give _Todd_ the privilege of being considered a part of the family."

"What did he ever do?"

"That's not _my_ story to tell. And if you think you're going to get away with changing the subject you're wrong, Namakettei."

"Dammit."

* * *

Moretsuna finds a small island of rocks and leaves us be as he retreats into the tattoo. He breathed out a small fire for us to warm up by before leaving. It's a soft orange color with licks of grey, sparking fiery red particles. Moretsuna made clear of the distance we have to keep because even when it's the weakest form of his blazing power, it burns a bit more than regular fire.

It's dark all around us now. The fire lights our faces golden, its flames dancing across the black glaze of the ocean. This being the Pacific Ocean, we're on the west of Asia. In the morning, we leave for the east. This island might not be the most comfortable spot to sleep on but we have an assured food supply, thanks to Alfred. I eat from the container of cold berries and finish a carton of chocolate milk (which I've never had and I'm sure glad I tried). We toast the crackers over the bristling fire.

"Thank goodness your bag is water proof." I say, swallowing three blueberries.

"I hope you choke."

"I can do it with four, wanna bet?"

I promised Damian to tell him whatever he needs to know right after I've eaten to my content. And now that I have, I clear my throat. "Well, if you don't want me to drift off to some childhood memory while talking, do you think it's more appropriate to ask me a question to start somewhere?"

"Tell me about your family and village."

"Uh, I had both parents. I'm the only child. Which was a disappointment because they wanted a boy. And they wanted at least two, three would have been splendid. So…double disappointment, ha… _ha_. So anyway, y'know Asian parents…they have different methods of parenting. I mean, I'm not even going to compare mine to yours…but they were quite…demanding. It was like one of their top priorities to remind me I have to work twice as hard each day because I could be thrown in an orphanage or some random doorstep anytime I disobey or dissatisfy them again. And I took it seriously because my mom pointed out other Japanese families that gave away their daughters. And I think the only reason I was still in the family was because they couldn't… _ahem_ , _try_ for another child,"

I sigh and munch on the toasted cracker. I wish I didn't drink up my chocolate milk so fast. It tastes so dry now.

"So I trained all day. I took in all the _bullshit_ they said to me just because I wanted to make them proud. A _smile_ was all I wanted each night when I came back home from the dojo. They didn't worry over my wounds. They asked about them. Was I progressing, taking risks? Or had I been clumsy? It was a cycle. I woke up, went to school, wrestled other kids in the dojo, returned home, and slept it off. I didn't have any friends because just like the other parents in the village, my mother and father disapproved of attachment. Focus on what you're supposed to do. Or be punished,"

I eat the last berry slowly.

"Until…I turned fourteen. I started the habit of reading. I thought, if I can't make my home any happier or less narrow-minded, I could entertain myself and broaden _my_ way of thinking. And I'm glad I did. Because I read like I trained. It was hard to pick out books because the only library in the village was quite small and old. I was interested in fantasy and mystery then I became _fascinated_. I read a book about dragons. Sure, I know what they are…I know what they are capable of but the book was about the good things they did. It was foreign to me because of the way the creatures were spoken of in my village, with such detest, I thought a friendly dragon was unheard of. But yeah….it opened my mind up a little. No—a _lot_."

"And that's when you changed sides?"

"Um, yeah. Anything else?"

"One more. How were you caught?"

"It was just one of those days, using my pitons to climb the dragon mountain. I thought I was the only human up there, like always, until…a boy from my dojo followed me up. He was geared up with all the equipment for mountaineering so I knew he prepared for the moment. I, for one, wanted to crap myself for several reasons. I knew I was immediately exposed and then I'm probably going to get killed for betraying my family. And the other reason being I was scared for the boy's life. The dragons don't like or trust intruders and when they don't trust, they attack. He was cunning, he worked his way through my lies and found me. He wasn't stupid enough to start a fight in front of a dragon cave so he fled. And I knew I had to leave."

"He wasn't someone you were nice to? Did you forget to _smile_ at him?"

"Ha. Ha. _No_. He was a rival. Hated me so much he tried to find something dirty about me, just to get into a fight outside the regulations of the dojo where we settle the competition. He found my progress in training fishy instead. I told him I trained harder at home but I knew my cuts and bruises from my failures in mountain climbing only struck one idea in his head. I had only little time before the entire village heard about my betrayal so I ran home. My parents were out, thank god, and so I grabbed my things and the Sai…"

"How did you convince the dragons to take you away?"

"I didn't. I planned on leaving alone because I knew the dragons could take care of themselves. But the village didn't come after me. All the students of the dojo were ordered to slay the dragons together. They thought I was _possessed_. I knew the dragons could take them all but I didn't want them destroying the whole village…again. So I owned up and before they could all tear me apart, I was whisked off into the air."

"And you don't regret anything you've ever done?"

"No," I say. "That's one thing I'm certain of."

"And that's _one_ thing we have in common," Damian says, looking like he doesn't really want to admit it. "Not looking back."

We both stare into the flames.

"Do you trust me now, Damian?"

"…Fine."

* * *

 _I wonder if they ever get tired of me visiting. I mean, it's already quite an honor to be able to touch their eggs without being burned into ashes. Perhaps when they hatch I'd have the chance to look after them. That is, if I survive._

 _I unsheathed my pitons and started to climb. It got wonderfully easier each time. My shoulders had really broadened and muscled and I'd been training to be more agile lately. It's paid off because I got up to the cave within eight minutes._

 _When I walked in, Jigoku Ryuu was heating up the eggs, like always in this time of the day. What do I usually do when I visit? All sorts of things. I can ask Tengoku Ryuu to produce the largest, most beautiful snowflakes that wouldn't melt for days. Or I can watch Jigoku Ryuu's fire breath come out in different forms; jets, balls, rings, spirals, rain, or just a plain angry burst. Tengoku Ryuu could snort water out of her nostrils like Jigoku Ryuu could with fire, and it can shoot out in torrents or shower like a sprinkler. I sometimes also watched Jigoku Ryuu try to make his acid spit more precise by molding and melting large boulders. When it got hot, Tengoku Ryuu would drop a snowball on me or summon rain right over my head. When it got cold, Jigoku Ryuu would adjust the temperature of his fire breath to the warmth I desired or wrap his tail around me, where he can focus heat. They're celestial dragons, after all._

 _When I saw the sun starting to sink, I said my good-byes and proceeded to leave the mountain. But I saw as I walked out of the cave, an unwanted visitor. The boy from the dojo. My rival. Hakuryuu._

 _"_ _[So, Tomoe Namakettei,]" He said in a low, dark voice. "[I always knew there was something with you but never_ this _bad.]"_

 _"_ _[Hakuryuu, look, I'm not even going to try and deny this but—]"I bit my lip before I say the next line. "[You still have time to change and join me!]"_

 _"_ _[Join you? No. I'm going to_ expose _you. I'm going to be the village's hero, the champion, the dragon slayer. It's in my name, I was meant for the title. You think you're so smart, lying to your parents, lying to our sensei, thinking there would be nobody looking for you. But I don't allow parity in the dojo. You are not my equal, you are not even my rival. You are_ beneath _me. I wanted to teach you that for so long, wipe that arrogant look off your face. But now that I discovered you are not even worthy of your family name, you deserve to_ fall _.]"_

 _"_ _[Fight me then! You haven't proven to me that you're better. Fight me!]"_

 _"_ _[Heh, I'm no fool. I'm going to reveal your true, disgusting self to your family. I'm going to relish the look on their faces when I tell them you're a traitor, their daughter they had such high hopes for. I'll gather up the faithful, right-minded students of the dojo to slay the dragons. I'll lead them_ all _.]" He held up a clenched fist, an obsessive look in his eyes._

 _I couldn't fight him, I knew that. I didn't want Jigoku Ryuu and Tengoku Ryuu involved, not even to back me up. He stepped towards me and I already recognized the move he was trying to use on me. He was trying to knock me out by hitting my pressure points. I dodged and held my fist to his face just as his fingers hovered over the side of my neck._

 _"_ _[Stop this, Hakuryuu,]" I growled. "[Or I'm setting them loose on you.]"_

 _Even though it was an empty threat, it got to him. He ground his teeth together, eyes in slits. "Cowering behind beasts. That's all you do."_

 _And he started climbing down the mountain._

 _"_ _You can escape the village, Namakettei. But you can never escape who you are,"_

* * *

 _There was no time to panic. I rushed home, relived it wasn't night yet because by then my parents would be back from work. I tried to keep myself hidden as I sprinted through the village, in case Hakuryuu had already opened his big, fat mouth but they were all minding their own quiet businesses. I was sure he went after my parents first._

 _My mind was in a state of total frenzy as I threw my belongings in one big bag. I didn't have much to pack but I took all my books, my little gadgets, my trusty pitons, some clothes, some food, some medicine, and bandages. I gave my room one last scan before walking out into the corridor, and stopping at my parents' room. I bit my lip in thought. I fetched a bottle of ink, went to the big mirror at their dressing table, and wrote_ _ **[I'm sorry]**_ _. They didn't need a longer apology, they wouldn't even bother to understand. I stared at the black ink drip down and glimpsed my reflection. I asked myself if I was really going to do this._

 _And I told myself yes._

 _If Hakuryuu wants to be the hero of the village, let him try. He would be either burnt to ashes or frozen into an ice cube but I just hoped he has better judgment before it came to_ that _. The dragons didn't need me anymore, they never did. They were always fine on their own. I just…needed friends._

 _I ran to the front door. Out of the corners of my eyes I caught sight of the glass case bearing what I have been working so hard for before I started climbing the dragons' mountain. The pair of Sai, glinting beautifully with competence and such worth. Even though I knew they were meant for me to use upon the slaughter of the dragons, the thought of losing the chance to wield them hurt me. My parents always made it sound like a big reward, a special gift and it worked on me. I did want them, so desperately. But never, not ever for the purpose they were supposed to be passed for. I could change that. Use them for good. But it was wrong, they weren't mine._

 _And I still took them anyway. It required a lot of effort to not look into my reflection in the blades and give in to the shame in my eyes. Once I got them in their scabbards, in the bag, I made a run for it. I went for the docks, to jump onto a random ship and get sailed far, far away. But my plans were foiled. In despair, I stopped and gazed at the scene of what looked like the entire village climbing the dragons' mountain._

 _I heard my mother's voice ring among other furious screams._

 _"_ _[THEY_ _ **POSSESSED**_ _HER!_ _ **POSSESSED MY**_ _ **DAUGHTER**_ _!]"_

Possessed _? My heart gave a pang. They didn't want to believe it, that I, had a change of my own mind. They thought I was loyal. I didn't want to stand for it. I didn't want to escape anymore. The idea of fleeing while the entire village attacks the dragons for something they never did was so cowardly and underhanded. I would never give them a reason to hate the dragons. I wouldn't leave the people fueled by odium and the dragons fueled by opposition. It would be an eternal war unless the village burns to the ground again. I had to do what was right, and that was to confess to my actions, my feelings. I didn't regret them, I wasn't ashamed, uncertain, or forced. If this was what I wanted to do, I should have no worry about announcing it, declaring it to my family. No matter how strong the impact it would have on us, it was right and I could never lie._

 _"_ _[MOTHER!]" I roared the loudest I could as I got near enough. "[STOP!]"_

 _And they stopped. I stood strong and tall and looked at each of the villagers. I knew most of them, I saw them everyday. Their faces were confused and my heart gave another big, painful pang. They never saw it coming._

 _"_ _[Tomoe!]" I heard my mother. She pushed through the people. There's a large dagger in her hand. "[I'll free you, I swear on—]"_

 _"_ _[No, mother, listen to me…father, please,]" I say to both of them. "[The dragons didn't possess me. What Hakuryuu said was right…_ I _betrayed you.]"_

 _"_ _[It's the dragons talking through you, I know you would never do this, Tomoe. You're the strongest out of the dojo no matter what that Hakuryuu boy says, you train like you breathe, you—]" My father insists._

 _"_ _[I don't want to slay them, father. It's wicked and wrong. You misunderstand them. They are not senselessly vicious. They have the right to be up there, to be left alone. It's their defense to protect their loved ones no matter what. You have to let it all go, it has been_ forty _years—"_

 _"_ _[NO!]" My mother shrieked. She sank to her knees and pulled wildly at her hair. [HOW COULD YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR OWN BLOOD AFTER ALL WE'VE TAUGHT YOU?! WHY WOULD YOU, OUT OF ALL THE CHILDREN IN THE DAMN VILLAGE, BE CORRUPTED THIS WAY?_ _ **WHY YOU**_ _? WHY_ _ **OUR**_ _FAMILY?!]"_

 _I step towards her. "[Mom—]"_

 _"_ _[You will_ _ **NEVER**_ _understand what this village lives on to do, Tomoe! We FIGHT for_ _ **JUSTICE**_ _. We had to build this whole place up again from debris and defeat, after the red dragon TERRORIZED our people. Everything we had in store for future generations,_ _ **GONE WITH THE FIRE**_ _! You would never know how it felt, Tomoe. I saw so much potential in you and I dreamed you would be our champion, our savior. Someone I could so proudly call MY DAUGHTER, the HERO of the village! OUR FAMILY WOULD HAVE RISEN TO THE TOP AND SEIZED JUSTICE WITH BOTH HANDS. BUT_ _ **YOU**_ _!_ _ **YOU**_ _ **TEAR IT ALL DOWN**_ _ **YOU TREASOUNOUS LITTLE**_ _—!]"_

 _She lunged for me, her hands reaching for my neck. I tried to pry them off and not hurt her because she was going insane. The rest of the village raised their weapons._

 _"_ _[TOMOE NAMAKETTEI, SURRENDER!]" An officer hollered. "[AND WE WILL END YOU FAST!]"_

 _I looked for my father in the crowd. He was at the lead, his face scarlet and purple with rage. His eyes drilled into mine, burning of hot hatred and contempt. My throat knotted at his lack of mercy and began to back away as they closed in._

 _"_ _[_ _ **GET HER**_ _!]"_

 _I turned and proceeded to flee as if I could outrun the entire village but suddenly all the wind had been knocked out of me. I'm off the ground, soaring so fast, so high. I gasped as I finally opened my eyes and found myself on Jigoku Ryuu's long black and red body, high enough in the sky to burst through clouds. I looked down at the speck of the village I left behind. I closed my eyes. My heartbeat slows but weighs heavier like my chest couldn't hold in everything I'm feeling inside._

 _It's done._

 _Oh god, it's_ done _._


	11. Sold Down The River

**A/N**

 **I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! I have a lot of unpublished chapters and school has kept me quite busy. Please review, it means a lot.**

* * *

 **Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Ten:**

 ** _Sold Down The River_**

* * *

 **"** **[How, Tomoe?]"**

 **"** **[Sensei?]"**

 **The world around me is melting into thick black clinging soup. I feel the viscous limbs curling and wrapping around my feet, rooting me to the spot. I'm in the dojo. Sensei Kishimoto is in silhouette but his deep frown glows white.**

 **"** **[After your treachery, how could you show your face here? Why would you** ** _betraaaay_** **—]" He dissolves along with our surroundings.**

 **"** **[No]!"**

 **"** **[I thought I told you not to come back.]"**

 **I try to turn but the slime holds me in place. I recognize the voice anyway. It's Hakuryuu.**

 **"** **[But I'm not—I'm not even** ** _here_** **!]"**

 **"** **[Enough with your futile dishonesty. Returning to Japan after what you've done…you deserve to die by my blade.]"**

 **And he cuts me clean.**

"WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"

My eyes snap open. It's completely dark.

"D-Damian? Ow, _stop_ it!"

Damian shines a tiny flashlight in my face then up his so that I see his grimace. He looks like he's telling himself in his head not to slap me.

"I've been yelling at you for the past five minutes. Get up."

"Calm down," I yawn, rubbing my eyes. "God, what time is it?"

"5:00 AM in Japan, 4:00 AM in China. We leave now."

"Oh, come on, Damian, it's so early. And I can't see anything."

"Use the flashlight."

I sit up and grab the flashlight. My whole head still feels fuzzy but I use the device to guide me in the dark. I don't know how Damian does it but I hear him moving things about. I find my jacket somewhere where my feet were and look for food.

"Hey, got anything to eat?"

A packet of dried strawberries hits my face. "Thanks."

"Xinjiang…a region in northwestern China. I've always wanted to see the Taklimakan desert."

"It's just a desert."

"Shut up."

I wear my boots and tidy my hair. I used my bag as a pillow—of course, after taking out my Sai. Once they are back in, I stand up and pull my bag over my shoulder. I shine the flashlight around me, looking for Damian. He seems to have disappeared but when I walk forward, I hear his voice somewhere.

"Yes…we're about to leave the Pacific Ocean. She's awake, we're ready to go…how is Gotham? Of course…I see. Understood, you told me that already…Robin out."

"Everything okay, there?" I ask as Damian walks into the light of the torch.

"They're fine."

"Any leads on the Thaumaturge?"

"Not yet but they're tracking down the people she's worked with when she was still performing."

"Great. Shall we go?"

I summon Moretsuna and Gankona. I tell them to illumine their scales so that we can see. Once we get on them, they dim their glows and we take off for the skies. The wind is sharp and cold on my sleepy face like little daggers so I pull my jacket over my face and put my head down.

Damian may have the strength to wake up this early but my habits aren't changed. I need the energy to face the day. I'll practice some other day…

I think I slept for about an hour until Damian yells my name. I jerk awake and look to my side. "What is it?"

"It's Wei Zhihao…it's 6:00 PM in Gotham now. Strange. She always struck early in the morning or afternoon."

"What did she do?" I ask.

" _Batman_ …he isn't answering me," He growls. "Batman? What _happened_?"

"Maybe—Maybe he's busy," I say. "Do you want to—?"

"Speed up? Yes. Do it."

"It can either give you vertigo or nausea or both, Damian. You sure?"

"Positive. We have to do this as fast as possible so that we can return to Gotham and help them."

 _[Moretsuna, Gankona, you heard the little guy. Try to travel as straight as you can please…you remember the last time…]_

We glider faster over the vast sea, fast enough to make me feel sick. They tear and dive into clouds. I don't know if they forgot what I said or disregarded it but they're definitely not trying to keep it calm. Gankona's long body rolls like a skipping rope shook at one handle, up and down. I clutch my stomach and try to keep the food from last night in. I look at Damian and he seems absolutely unfazed but he's grabbing tight onto Moretsuna's horns. Since Gankona doesn't have horns, I hug her head and tighten my legs around her in fear of being dropped and not heard over the howl of the gale. I must be used to this but fast tempo is something I can never accustom myself to.

I look down. "We-We're here!"

It has hardly been ten minutes and we're already crossing over the Tarim River and then the range of mountains in Kunlun Shan. We pass over patches of green then peaks of brown through veils of white.

"[Moretsuna, Gankona, _slow down_!]" I yell, squinting at the summits below. "Damian, look for a little cottage down there!"

But I already see it. Moretsuna and Gankona take us down and I let them go back in the tattoos. Damian follows me closely behind, a small weapon called the batarang in hand. I don't bother telling him it's unnecessary.

The front door is enchanted to only open to our hands. It looks like a battered, wooden door with a bad paint job but it's impenetrable to outsiders. I place the flat of my hand on it then push it open. I look for the lamp as we enter. I burn the kerosene, which is almost gone, but dim light floods the living room. Damian starts to walk around, observing. He stares into the jars and ornaments, squinting at the labels of vials. Then he takes out a handheld device that looks similar to a notepad and writes quickly into it.

"I'll go look in our room…" I say and walk through the curtains that hide our beds. I should be feeling hurt, angry, or even tenacious but when I see our bedroom I begin to miss her. I swallow the lump in my throat and approach her closet. We use different ones because she said she had too many things in hers. So I had a small cabinet for my clothes and belongings.

I try to open it but it doesn't budge. I pull the handle again with all my strength. It could be like the front door so I place my palm on the door and wait for it to push open. It doesn't. Of course it doesn't.

"Dammit," I murmur. "Obviously she would have enchanted her closet. She has something she doesn't want me to see in there."

I sit on my bed and ponder. My eyes flick around as I think about how to work it out. She has a number of spells but only a handful for locking and securing. She taught me one, only, about the charm on the door. If it's the same enchantment here, then I'll have to completely destroy the wardrobe and I don't really want to resort to that in case I damage something.

I reach over and pull out a drawer from the nightstand. Inside is an ointment for burns, a small calendar, and my handy pocketknife. I keep the pocketknife and open another drawer. I see the photos we took but I don't take them out. I can't be distracted. I have to figure out the spell on her wardrobe.

"Damian? Come through the curtain!" I call.

"Did you find the notes?" He asks, stepping into the room.

"Well, I _think_ they could be in the wardrobe. She must have cursed it for a reason."

He takes out the torch, gets down on all fours, and shines light under her bed. Then he walks over to my bed and searches under there too. I hope a spider doesn't jump on his face.

"I don't think you have to—"

"Batman told me to investigate so I'm _investigating_."

Whatever satiates him. I put my head in my hands and think faster. She doesn't utter any sound when she places her spells. Her mind is her magic, she said. So how the hell am I supposed to get it?

"No clue?" Damian sighs, looking into every drawer.

"Yeah, sorry. One thing we can try is that we destroy the wardrobe."

"Then do it."

"I don't want to use a bomb."

"We'll just kick it until it busts open. Are you sure the spell will come off when it's in pieces?"

"Yeah, it has to be in ruins, not just the doors off its hinges. Then the spell cannot recognize what it has to keep locked. Even if we punch one hole in the closet you can't reach in and grab whatever you want because the spell is a barrier that has to be shattered all around."

"Good enough. Ready to punch?"

We give it our all. Our fists slam in, yank out, and repeat. My leg rams into the hinges and the door crashes at our feet. Damian clasps his hands together and brings them down on the residual wood. Then when the structure is completely torn down, we smash the jagged planks and make sure everything lies in fragments.

Damian continues his _thorough investigation_ as I remove her clothing from the box lying beneath. The box isn't locked, thank goodness, but when I lift the lid up, I'm both surprised and disappointed to see just two sheets ripped from a newspaper and stapled together. I beckon Damian and we both read it. Or I read it, because Damian doesn't know Chinese. I think.

The first thing that catches my attention on the first paper is the black and white photo of a woman. I bite the inside of my lip, studying the eyes, the cheeks…the features I notice the most on Wei-san. It's _her_ but it seems like she's ten years younger. Her hair is mostly dark and she's not hunched. I read the headlines. I read it again. It just doesn't seem to register in my head.

[ **"ÈYÙN", CULPABLE WITCH, RESPONSIBLE FOR MAGICAL MAYHEM ACROSS EASTERN CHINA]**

My eyes flick up to the date.

 **February 2** **nd** **, 2007**

"Oh, god," I whisper. My eyes run down the all the disasters she's caused in Anhui, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Hubei, and other provinces in eastern China. From fearsome floods to horrifying hurricanes, these are things I never expected Wei-san to be _capable_ of or… have the heart to do. Thunderstorms, earthquakes, tsunamis, armies of possessed civilians, and poisoned water and medicine…she's done them all.

Her villainous identity is Èyùn so she must have been just another normal Chinese citizen—Wei Zhihao. If she _had_ been making medicine, maybe she was a doctor or pharmacist. What went wrong?

I flip the stapled sheets over and read another headline.

 **THE END OF "ÈYÙN"? CHINA FINALLY AT PEACE**

She disappeared for ten years…laid low, buried in the Kunlun Shan of northwestern China. If these two sheets were stapled together it must mean the other sheet is the manifestation of her "greatest" days and this sheet embodying her greatest failure. Tucked away in her box…in her enchanted closet…but I didn't find what we came for.

I fold the sheets carefully and stow it in my bag, to show the rest when we get back to Gotham. I breathe out, feeling tired inside. I trusted a murderer, a villain. I loved her. God, how could I have been so stupid?

"Namakettei," Damian says. "Come look."

I walk over to where he is, at the empty space where Wei-san's bed used to be. I didn't even hear him move it. He crouches down and points at the wall, slightly discolored from the grey hue of the stone. It's just a darker blotch and I tell him it's nothing, rapping on it to produce the dull, hard sounds.

"See? Just stone."

"Not very perceptive, are you?" He sighs. "I'm the son of the greatest detective in the world. I know what I'm doing. Knock on the other spots of the wall. It sounds a tad bit different from this darker shade."

I do so and listen intently. He's right. Now the first place I knocked sounds just a little hollow.

He takes out his batarang and carves a square in the wall with the pointy edge. The slab of stone falls into his hands and he puts it aside. We expose a hole but it's dark and empty looking.

"Wei Zhihao obviously used her magic to make the stone look intact and she's clever enough to hide it behind her bed, at the bottom of the wall. But not clever enough to suspect we'd come looking for the notes. It has to be in there. The entire cottage is clean."

Damian reaches in and struggles. "Hmmm, it's deep in there."

He takes out a projectile that looks similar to the grappling gun and calls it the 'batclaw'. He launches the claw into the depths of the hole.

"What if it's bottomless or leading to a _bigger_ hole?"

But I hear the metal scrape against the stone. And there's a rustle of papers.

"You hear that? Just gotta reel it in…I think the claw caught hold." The rope retracts and the claw brings out a sheaf of crumpled papers. I can feel my heart jump back into my throat. This is it. Most of her plans now lay in front of us. Under different dates is her neat Chinese script, each entry a short paragraph. She seems to only write when something comes to her, because the dates are very far apart. They're like markings of her progress.

"Read it aloud," Damian says, stowing away his claw.

"You understand Chinese?"

"I come from a Chinese and Arabic heritage."

"…I see…I thought you were wh—"

"White? Of course you did."

"Well, you _are_ tan—"

"Read."

I breathe out. And I read.

" **[The dragon eggs…I can smell their ethereality right off of them. The things I can with such power in my hands when they hatch…but do I really want to walk down this lane again? I'll have to contemplate. I cannot be careless this time.]**

" **[The girl, Tomoe Namakettei, ordinary but bubbling with gratitude and trust. Young, ignorant, and kind. I can use them all against her. Even after Nature stole back their gifts from me I think I'm ready to rise again. Ten years of quiet shame…although it wasn't a life I minded.]**

" **[This is will take longer than I expected. The dragons, since born, are devoted to her. I have to earn their trust…care for them. It's all part of the procedure anyway. I can be a patient person when the reward is worthwhile.]** "

I don't feel like reading anymore. My throat hurts and twists. It had been from the start. But I'm not even at the worst part yet.

" **[The dragons could be dangerous without any control on them. Tomoe is too friendly and gentle to them. If I draw her magic tattoos she will have physical and mental influence over them…for now.]**

" **[I need to keep an eye on her…maybe I should make her a necklace. She would be more than willing to wear it, as it will seem like a token of love. I have to make sure I know where she is at all times…]** "

" **[She thinks of me as a** ** _mother_** **. It's the third year since she's come along. Perhaps it's time I try it out. The tattoos are laced with poison that instigates paralysis, she can't put up a fight. The way my magic works is irritating, having to make deep, mental connections with those whom I want something from. This body does me no good, I have to start fresh. They trust me so now I can steal Tomoe's body and gain complete control over Moretsuna and Gankona. I can have fun once more.]** "

" _There_ it is," Damian says, pointing at the last bit of the note. "She wants to take over your body. Start her reign of terror all over again."

"There's more…" I say sadly and turn the sheet over. Her handwriting is slightly scrawled on the side.

"[ **It's not working. I've calculated everything but it's not** ** _working_** **. She was sleeping, the time she's most vulnerable…why didn't my magic work? It has always worked. All the elements are in place. What am I missing?]**

" **[Every night is a failure…she sleeps it all way and my patience is wearing very thin. I waited** ** _another_** **year, played it sweet and motherly even though I knew she trusted me enough. I cannot do this any longer; my mind is in pain from all the work. I can't risk neurological damage at this point. I'm so darn close. I need answers. Right now.]** "

The last bit of writing is even more rushed.

" **[It has been five years and now I know what to do. I need to see the Thaumaturge. I hate to admit but that woman is a tad bit more…** ** _practiced_** **than I am. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I need to travel in silence and stealth out of China and into America. I believe that's where I last saw her. I don't ask for favors but time is of the essence. Another abortive attempt might just incapacitate my brain. I know Tomoe well enough to know that she'll wait a couple of weeks before looking for me. I'll let her come to me and by then…I'll have** ** _all_** **the answers.]** "

And that is the last entry. The paper slips between my fingers. Damian stands by me, registering the last words. He stops writing in his electronic notepad and looks at me. I close my eyes and feel heat behind my eyelashes. The heat of tears. Heat of betrayal.

"This must be what I get for being unfaithful to my village, my family. A knife in my back."

"I'll tell you the truth, Namakettei," Damian says. "But it's your own second nature that gets you in trouble. That gets _us_ in trouble."

He's right.

This time, I'll take it to the heart.


	12. Up a Creek

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Eleven:**

 ** _Up a Creek_**

* * *

The ride back to Gotham is tense. After telling Moretsuna and Gankona about everything I've confirmed about Wei Zhihao there were no words and only rage. From both of them. And Damian hasn't said a word to me since we left. I don't expect him to. He must be mad. He should be.

The rollercoaster of emotions built up an appetite. Damian will probably hate to take a break but a quick stop in Shandong won't hurt, although we did agree on hurrying back home to join Batman, Jason, and the others on the attack.

"Damian? Do you think we can stop by at Jinan in Shandong? I'm a little hungry and you don't have anymore food."

"Fine."

"If Batman needs us in Goth—"

"No, I just answered his call. He said they're wading through the underground conduit to disarm twelve bombs. They're certain it's her because not only the sewer waters stank of filth, it was also the presence of her magic. And the thing about the bombs was that they couldn't remove the fuse without answering a _riddle_. He said they've only gone through four bombs at the moment so you can imagine the amount of time they're taking."

" _Riddles_ …never saw it as _her_ thing," I mutter. "Guess I didn't know her at all."

Damian tosses me a glider and tells me to put it on before I pull Moretsuna and Gankona back into my tattoos, since we're not going to land. I strap it on and look over at him. Then we jump as the dragons return to the field of my tattoos. We fly down slowly towards the city. I look over the people ambling down the roads, heads down, black and brown bathing in the rose gold light of dawn. The sun is warm on my skin as we touch the roof of a tall building. Damian folds back the gliders into his bag and we walk the streets. I look at each signboard halfheartedly. I don't want to eat in a packed place, it'd be too noisy. Damian would obviously agree with me.

"I'm hungry for noodles," I say. "You?"

"Hnn."

We enter a small, empty looking restaurant. It's toasty and cozy inside and we claim a table right in the corner. I rub my hands together, trying to indulge in the heat from the kitchen as much as possible. There's an elderly chef at the counter where the bar is, cleaning glasses and bowls. A waiter comes to take our order. I tell him what I want while Damian scans the menu. I notice the way the waiter stares at him and then me.

I think Damian notices as well because his eyes darted up to him and then back to the menu. He settles for a cup of Earl Grey and a couple of steamed custard buns. I almost smile at the dirty look he throws after the waiter.

"He was probably baffled by your flashy outfit."

" _And_ your tattoos."

I shrug and look out the window.

Wei Zhihao never took me to the city. She said it was too loud, too busy and that the quiet atmosphere to Kunlun Shan was salubrious. I agreed, because I did like being alone. I never suspected her words, her _excuses_.

"Now that you've got the answers…are you going to willingly take her down?" Damian questions.

"I am," I look him in the eye. "Though there is one thing we still don't know."

"Of course. We don't know why she is wrecking the city, what the Thaumaturge told her."

"I don't care to find out anymore," I frown. "I've had enough surprises."

Our food comes in a while and it's the old man from the bar, bearing a tray. He smiles, puts the tray down, and places the platter of hot custard buns before Damian and the bowl of fried noodles with pak choi in front of me, then our beverages. I nod in thanks as he walks away and pick up my warm, milk tea. Just as I'm about to sip, Damian hisses,

" _Stop_. Don't. Drink. It."

I freeze, my lips lingering on the cup. "What's wrong?"

"The old man served with only one hand. When he turned and walked away, the other hand behind him was hiding a vial in his fist. He poisoned our tea and probably our meals as well."

"Why on Earth would h—?" There's a loud gust. A large knife drives into the wall, right next to my head. I feel blood drip from my earlobe.

" **ÈYÙN**!" Comes a shrill screech from the bar. The florid-faced, old man that served us grabs another large dagger and flings it towards the corner we're in. I lunge across the table and tackle Damian just before the blade impales the back of his head. Under the table, he grabs his bag and his weapons. I do the same and once we're ready, we kick it off of us.

" _Èyùn_!"

"[It's the _devil_!]"

" _Èyùn_!"

Waiters are coming at us from all directions, armed with butcher knives, frying pans, and other kitchen utensils. I stare back at them, confused until it hits me.

"Oh god. _Of course_. We're in _Shandong_. One of the provinces in the eastern China she terrorized. And because of my tattoos—" They all come at us together, like an angry flood. " _They think I'm her_!"

"RUN!" Damian roars and we turn and dash right out of the windows. My knees wobble as my feet crash onto the flagstone, slivers of glass showering our backs. But I sprint. I can hear furious calls behind us, knives flying ahead of us. I hear Wei Zhihao's villain name tossed about, rousing bystanders. Then before we can stop just for a while, policemen begin to chase us as well. My adrenaline is spiking as we round a corner, not slowing even for a second. I want to grab my jacket from my bag and put it over my tattoos but that'd be useless. The stench is all over me, the stench of chaos that poisoned this very city. It's triggering everyone I pass. How could I have been so careless?

"How could I have been so _careless_?" Damian growls as we keep running. "We shouldn't have stopped anywhere!"

"I know and I'm _sorry_!" I yell, glancing over my shoulder. "I was just sick of being airbor—oh god, it's a freaking _mob_!"

"Let's end this."

"And face those furious people?!"

Damian halts and whips around. He brandishes his sword. "We don't run anymore. We fight now."

I suppress a groan. The last thing I want to do is to appear as an even bigger threat but Damian has different plans, one involving no calm reasoning. But when I look at the mob, I think nothing would get through to them. They look wary at the same time enraged…Wei Zhihao, or should I say _Èyùn_ , really left her mark on Jinan. I don't want to hurt them because they've misunderstood but they look like they want to skin me alive and boil me in my own blood. Other than the cops and the mad old chef and his waiters, the rest are ordinary citizens. Ordinary adults that got their lives turnt upside down because of her. Of course they would want to get their revenge.

"I'm really sorry about this—" I gasp and the crowd engulfs us.

"[YOU BURN TODAY, ÈYÙN!]" Comes a shriek near me.

"[ _YOU WILL PAY_!]" Comes a wail from a distance.

"[I—]" I punch the person that latched onto my arm, trying not to resort to my Sai. "[I don't even _look_ like her!]"

More hands grab me. One around my neck, two around my wrists, and even one around my ankle. I yelp and fight for breath and space. I can't get enough air. They're suffocating me.

"Namakettei—FIGHT, _NOW_!" Damian hollers.

I make a guttural sound of impatience and shake off the seizing hands. "[Citizens of Jinan, _please stop this_! If we all could drop the weapons and talk like nor—]"

A fist rams into my nose. Blood spurts from my nostrils and trickles down my lips. I narrow my eyes and tighten hold over the hilts of my Sai. There goes reasoning and my forbearance. "Violence it is."

I grab the man nearest to me and slam his head hard against another one. I try to bring them down by large numbers, taking them on one by one would take too long. I see Damian is doing more than fine on his own, people are backing away from him now. I use my Sai to only defend, not stab. We're not here to maim anyone. We have to beat the crowd and get the hell out of here. It may have taken me a while to realize but at least now I'm doing as Damian says.

My elbow thrusts into a guy's abdomen and my knuckles brush against a snarling woman's chin. A shove sends them all crashing into each other and their numbers drop like flies. When I'm done knocking the last pair of heads, I gaze at the mess we've caused as I pant. Damian sheathes his sword and looks down at their twitching bodies.

"This didn't have to happen." I say, shutting my eyes.

"We had to _defend_ ourselves, Namakettei, and I don't like your hesitation. If someone is asking for a fight, give it to them. There is no chance at reasoning with such blind violence. All that thinking and you might as well give yourself in," Damian scoffs. "Now, let's get back in the air."

He tosses me a grapnel gun then uses one for himself to get onto a roof of a building. Before I join him I look at the people below me sadly.

"[I'm really sorry but I am not who you think I am,]" I say softly. "[Èyùn and I know each other but I am not despicable and murderous like her. I swear to you all I am not. _Please_ believe me.]"

They don't look at me as I plead them. I don't think they even hear me.

"[W-Witch…]" The old chef from the restaurant earlier whispers, his shaking finger pointing at me. Then he passes out.

I open my mouth but I stop trying. I turn away and use the grapnel gun. Then we're back on Moretsuna and Gankona, in the air. I want to sleep it off but now I can't stop thinking about how Èyùn has truly broken Jinan. How many more provinces has she devastated? For them to think I had done it, not even regarding my appearance or what I had to say, I cannot awfulize how badly they were traumatized. It's crushing, to see them fear the symbol of jeopardy and cruelty that they thought was _I_.

"I wish we could have helped them instead of beating them up," I say to Damian as the dragons fly alongside each other.

"Help them? _How_? There was no time for anything but escape. If you hadn't noticed they wanted _your blood_ on their hands. They didn't care about me, I was just an obstacle, _fending_ them off for _you_ —"

"I _get_ it," I growl. "I get it, dammit! I'm just unhappy with it, okay? The way Wei Zhihao played with their lives, to leave them so thirsty for vengeance…I don't like it."

"You think _I_ like it? You can't be distracted by emotions in a fight, Namakettei. I've been doing this much longer than you have so I know what I'm doing. Next time you do nothing and think about how _wrong_ something is you'll be ripped apart."

"I'm not crime fighter material like you people. I had a very ordinary life for five years — I've grown quite habituated to it — and not once did I have to run from an angry, vicious mob. I don't know how to act and think fast on the battlefield. Perhaps not now."

"Leave the fighting to me then. Don't get in the way if you demur at using those Sai of yours."

I grimace and look away from him. I hate to feel useless but he's right. There's no time to think and despair when there's no time at all. Hopefully by the next situation like this I'm more careful. Hopefully.

"Yes? Wait— _Nightwing_? _Slow_ down."

Damian is speaking into the comm link, brows furrowed. "No… _how_? You answered a riddle _wrong_? What happened…Todd? He's _gone_?"

My eyes widen and I swallow hard. "Wh-What happened?"

"Did you have a tracer on him? _No_? What is Batman doing right now? …Of course he is…we're on our way. Yes, we'll hurry. Robin _out_."

Damian ends his call then looks at me grimly.

"They got the last riddle wrong. The bomb, instead of blowing them up, triggered a _teleportation_ of apparently the closest person standing…Todd vanished."

* * *

I've never experienced Moretsuna and Gankona's full speed. I never planned to, anyway. When I ordered them to go as fast as they could, _both_ of them warned me it could really give me a migraine if I'm not one for it. It's worth it, to get to Gotham and find Jason.

It's terrifying. My eyes seem to shoot right back into my skull and my mouth wobbles like in those silly cartoons. I hang on to Gankona's head and hug it tight so that the wind doesn't blow me right off. I look up for just a second and see the tangerine sky dabbed with veils of clouds, racing over our heads. Gankona's mane billows around my face, swathing me. Everything is a blur and I already feel sick. Thank goodness I didn't get to eat in Jinan or there would be a _very_ nasty splatter on Gankona's head right now.

After about four or five minutes we stop abruptly. My body lurches forward then snaps backwards as Gankona stops. I clutch my aching head in both hands and squeeze my eyes shut. When they crack open at last I see the starry night sky of Gotham. I let out a puff of breath and massage my temples. My heart is still yet to slow down to a normal pace. My face feels odd, like it's not mine. The wind was so fast and cold on it. It was one heck of a ride and I'm just surprised I'm not hurling right now.

"That was insanely quick, wasn't it?"

"Let's go, they're in the Batcave," Damian says, leaping off Moretsuna. "Hurry."

When we get to the Batcave we hear quiet words at the computer. Batman, Nightwing (who's wearing a very different outfit), Tim, and Alfred are huddled together, looking agitated. Batman's face, however, is just grim. We approach them and nobody seems to know what to ask first.

"Are you two alright? You both look very windswept." Tim looks us over as Alfred goes to fetch us water.

"We're fine. What happened?" I inquire impatiently.

"I don't know how I got the riddle wrong," Batman grunts. "It took us more than ten minutes to work out…but that is not important now. We have to look for Jason. He must be in trouble."

"Jason? Unlikely," Nightwing says, arms crossed. "Have a little faith in him."

"Hard to do so when we have no idea where he is."

"These bombs though," Tim says, walking over to a table where they're placed. "It's hardly a matter of technology but I can't figure out how it teleported Jason elsewhere. It looks far too primitive."

"Magic, Tim," I say. "It's unfathomable."

"Nevertheless I'll still study it."

Batman is looking at Damian, contemplating what to do. There isn't much of a choice. We only have more questions on our hands now. What would she want with him? With _any_ of them?

"Do you…" I speak tentatively. "Do you think she 'kidnapped' him because she knows…we're working together?"

"Possible. She is watching us somehow. And we can't sense her presence because you're here, Tomoe. Her magic is all over you." Batman sighs.

"I-I'm sorry," I frown. "If I hadn't joined you guys she wouldn't come after any of you…I should have—"

"Tomoe, we _will_ find Jason," Nightwing reassures me. "He's really tough and wherever he is, he's probably putting up a good fight."

"It's really late…we can't do anything at the moment. We don't have any leads." Tim says.

"You should all rest. Tomorrow, we work," Batman says, turning to the computer. "Damian, report. Nightwing, Tomoe, go."

"But how can we rest when—?" I start but he gives me a look.

" _Rest_. You just came back from China, save energy for tomorrow. Damian will tell me everything about what you have seen and experienced in China so at least that is something done tonight. And you're looking a little green. Go."

Nightwing and I leave.

"Aren't you worried about Jason?" I ask Nightwing. He looks quite at ease.

"Well, I know Jason. He's a rebel and he'll never go down without a good fight. Like I said, have some faith in him."

"But…what if Wei Zhihao kidnapped him to torture him? To get to me?"

We're walking slowly down the pavement then we stop. Nightwing stares at me.

"Is that what you think? That she's after you?"

"It's not what I _think_ , Nightwing, it's what I _know_. Our trip back home in Xinjiang was very… _enlightening_."

"I'm sorry. But why would she be destroying the city if she only wants you? Couldn't she have done it much easier and less destructive back in China?"

"No, she was missing something. She thought she could get answers from the Thaumaturge here in Gotham."

"I see…and we have to find out exactly what she was told," He sighs. Then he looks at me again and smiles. "She'll only _get_ to you if you _let_ her, okay? Imagining the worst, expecting it…you'll be driven crazy. Follow Batman's advice, go sleep it off and we'll tackle it in the morning. Alright?"

I smile at Nightwing, who's probably the most optimistic out of all of them. "Alright, Nightwing. Where were you all this time, anyway?"

"Just wrapping up some business. Batman updated me with what happens everyday while I was away. Now I'll be around to help," He says.

"Oh, and I like your new outfit," I gesture at his black and blue suit. "Now you're a full time crime fighter?"

"You could say that."

We've walked enough to reach the hotel Jason rented the room in.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow…'night." I say and give a wave. He goes his own way and I get into the hotel room. I toss the key card and my bag on the bed and proceed to get into the shower. The freezing water hits me like shards of ice but I wasn't in the mood for a hot bath either. Once I'm done, I step out, feeling numb with cold but refreshed. As I dry my hair with a towel, I examine myself in the mirror and notice a cut on my earlobe. I remember the moment the knife drove past, just an inch from my head, and into the wall. There's an inconspicuous bit of dried blood caking around my nostrils, from when the guy punched me as I was trying to talk to them. Then there are lacerations from the sharp nails that clawed my back and empurpling bruises from the hands that clenched me hard. Less sick but still very sore, I wrap a towel around me and walk into the bedroom to fetch my bag, where I kept the medicine and liniment.

As I get closer, I glimpse something on the bed. It's a card, which I recognize is made from vellum. Fine parchment. It blends into the sheets as it's the same color but the edges are tinted yellow. I turn it over and read the tiny, cursive script:

" _Sight eternal youth_

 _You are there_

 _Follow the dancing girls_

 _You are here."_

I read it over and over. What is this supposed to mean? Who is it from? I push it closer to my face to see if there's any hidden message somewhere on the tiny card but a scent hits me instead. I get the weirdest feeling.

I _know_ this smell.

I turn around and look at the bed. Folded by the housekeeping service, on the sheets, is one of Jason's brown vests. I snatch it and take deep, searching sniffs all over. Then I smell the card again. I drop it.

Musk and _frankincense_.

"Jason?"


	13. A Paradoxical Riddle

**Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham**

 **Chapter Twelve:**

 ** _A Paradoxical Riddle_**

It took me some time to contemplate whether I should consult with Batman that night. I read the note bearing the confusing, mysterious writing over and over and still couldn't work out what it could possibly even hint at. Sure, I figured it was a place but the clues aren't very helpful. So I made it priority to get it to Batman in the morning. I slept well, even though it kind of ate my brain out but I woke up actually feeling not half-dead.

I look to my right as I sit up, removing the blankets from my body. I stare at the empty space next to me on the bed. I sigh and try not to imagine the worst that could be happening to him. I have to keep the thought of this being my fault out of my head because what Nightwing said last night gave me hope and more faith in Jason. No time to point fingers, even at myself. Cracking this code is a step to finding him, I'm _sure_ of it.

I take a nice warm shower and dress myself. I stick the card to my keycard and drop it in the breast pocket of my bottle green and black top. Once I have my jacket on, my boots pulled up, and my hair tied back, I go downstairs to have a quick breakfast. I finish my muffin on the way out and jog to Wayne Manor. It's not close but a run won't hurt. The air is fresh, the weather is crisp, and the streets are empty. Wayne Manor is away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, of course, because they prefer seclusion.

I take a nice deep breath and continue to jog. I see people in tracksuits and sweatshirts, on their early morning run. I smile at the thought of doing it everyday, to wake up and invigorate yourself like that. It never bothered me — the privacy of our home — until I experience how pleasant it really could be to be around different people, doing their daily routines. Maybe it'll feel even better to be _one_ of them. It's not like my life back in Kunlun Shan was restricted or _boring_ , I had a lot of freedom and I didn't know what to do with the abundance of it. I suppose having the dragons around (trust me, they're a handful) and fetching ingredients for Wei Zhihao made me feel what I had in my life was _just_ enough. I never imagined the day I would come to prefer the hustle and bustle of the city rather than the serenity and solitude of the mountains. Maybe some things I just get tired of.

I press the buzzer on the little pad on the wall and ask Alfred to let me in. The gates swing open and I walk into their home. After greeting him, I move down to the Batcave, where I assumed Batman would be.

"If you are looking for Batman, he's not in there," Alfred says, at the top of the stairs.

"Oh?"

"The man doesn't spend his time all day in there, you know," He chuckles. "He's having breakfast with Damian. Care to join them?"

I find them in the dining room, eating breakfast like Alfred said. They look at me as if they're not surprised to see me at all.

"Do you guys eat…dressed like _that_ everyday?"

They're in their full costumes.

"We just got back from a late patrol," Batman says. "Do inform me when you decide to stop by, Tomoe, it helps even though I'm aware you come by as you please."

"Today is just not the day I see you without your cowl, huh?" I joke. "Maybe I should pop in more often."

He doesn't crack a smile.

"Right. Sorry."

"What have you got?"

"This," I say and pass the card to him.

He reads it. Then he looks up. "Where did you get this?"

"Jason's hotel room bed. It smells of him."

Batman gives Damian the card and thinks to himself. Damian reads it aloud twice and grimaces at how uninformative the message is.

"Got any ideas?" I ask, hoping at least Batman could hypothesize.

"She's talking about a place, clearly. This _could_ be the Thaumaturge. It's in English and you can't construct a riddle that easy."

I sit down. "Wei Zhihao can speak fluently in English too but I don't think this is her _cup of tea_ (I raise Batman's teacup. They look at me flatly). Either way, the problem is the same."

" _Sight eternal youth_ …" Damian muses. "This can be _metaphorical_ or _literal_ , we don't know what she has up her sleeves. Is she talking about _two_ places or two _areas_ of one place?"

" _Dancing girls_?" Batman says to himself. "What could she possibly mean? There can be dancing girls anywhere…in schools and… _performances_ …"

Batman and Damian look at each other.

"That's it! A performance!" I exclaim. "You said you she was a magician back in her days, right?"

"Yes. This could be something big," Batman says. "If it _is_ a show, I have to look in on this and make sure she doesn't have an _audience_."

He disappears out of the dining room. I glance at Damian.

"I think it's too early to assume so but," He looks after Batman. "Father is usually right."

"Your father is a genius."

"Of course he is."

"So what are you doing now?"

"I'm going to investigate. Check out theatres, stages, auditoriums, and stadiums to see if there really is a performance booked for a certain day."

"But she was a villain, was she not? How could she put herself out so publicly?"

"In the underworld, yes, but to the oblivious citizens of Gotham, she's just a retired magician every kid adored."

"I see. Can I come with?"

He squints. "Don't you have anything to do?"

"Well, with Jason missing with the Thaumaturge or Wei Zhihao or god knows who, helping you on this is my only choice."

" _Ttt_. I'll call Nightwing and ask if he wants to join."

"You don't seem to have a problem with _him_ coming along." I sniff.

"Yes, because I actually know him."

"That hurts, Damian," I say dramatically. "Even after all our bonding in China you're still a little cold fish."

"That was not _bonding_ and how could you even joke after what we've discovered? After what's happened to _you_?"

"Answer me _this_ then, Damian, will a few days of utter shock, hurt, anger, and regret make _you_ a nicer person?"

"No."

"Exactly."

He shakes his head. "There's more coming, Namakettei. Wei Zhihao will strike bigger than she ever has."

"Oh, I know, Damian…I know."

—

So Nightwing did want to join and now they're out of their costumes, in normal, everyday clothes. I look at Damian's bare face and cock my head. He glares at me.

" _What_? What did I do this time?" I throw my hands up.

"Stop looking at me."

I shrug and turn away.

We've shown Nightwing the note, told him what we decided to do, and now he takes charge.

"We're going to act as innocent as possible, okay?" Nightwing says, giving Damian a look. "A big brother and his little brother, and a friend. We're going to ask about a rumored magic show and—"

Damian growls. "The _thespianism_ is unnecessary. We ask the questions, squeeze the answers out of them if we must, and move on."

"And no force will be tolerated. Damian, you're going to act like a normal boy because you're _not_ in your costume."

"What's _normal_?"

"You guys get along great, don't you?"

Even though Damian can't stop being a little ass for just a second, I can see they do get along well. Nightwing is a cheery, funny guy and Damian seems to roll with it, as if he's quite used to it. Of course he is, they're all just one big family…of crime fighters.

We walk down the balmy, busy streets, to the closest theatre. It has become quite hot and Nightwing offers to buy us ice cream as we come across an ice cream truck.

"You two up for it?"

"Damian's heart is cold enough as it is, he doesn't need ice cream." I snicker.

"Though it'll certainly make it _sweeter_."

" _Dick_." Damian says gruffly.

" _Damian_!" I exclaim, shocked. I know he's mean but that's just crossing the line. He's a boy!

However, Nightwing is unfazed. "Oh, don't worry, Tomoe, that's my name. Though I saw what you did there, Damian, you usually call me Grayson."

I stare at him. Then at Damian. He nods, a tired look in his eyes.

"Ohhhh. Okay."

So only Dick and I got ice cream and Damian walks between us, looking like the most annoyed person on the planet. Maybe because I forget to lick the other side of my cone often and it keeps dripping down and onto Damian's shoulder. I smile apologetically.

"We're here, you prattlers," He says and we stop talking over his head. "Hurry up and finish your cones."

The theatre is massive and by the looks of it — _old_. Perhaps too grand for a magic show unless she really was renowned but we ask anyway. There's a counter nearby where a guy is sleeping behind and Damian raps the glass barrier impatiently.

"Get up!"

The man jolts and almost falls off his chair.

Dick gives Damian another look.

"Hi, sorry, can we have a moment of your time?" Dick asks. The guy blinks his sleepy eyes at us. "My little brother and my friend are big fans of magi—"

"Did the Thaumaturge book a performance here?" Damian demands. There goes Dick's plan of acting like normal, loving brothers.

"The _Thaumaturge_?" The guy says, awake now. "Haven't heard _that_ name in a long time. Sorry, buddy, no grand performances until the opéra comique with the gal from Paris (he points at a poster on the wall). Coming next month."

"What about one where there's dancing?"

"Nope. Not that I know of."

We leave the theatre and head for a stadium. Before we left, Damian had contacted Tim and asked about where she usually executed her magic. He said the one he went to was at a stadium, the exact one we're headed to, an extremely extravagant one with lots of dancers and performers. Then he recalls one where she performed in a park. On the way to the stadium we stopped by at an auditorium, a concert stage where we saw people setting up, and even a school where a talent show was being prepared. Nobody has heard of a rumored magic show. It's been several hours and I'm getting tired but I keep the mood up because I don't need an even angrier Damian, who's still quite determined.

"Well, who do we ask?" I look around as we get to the stadium. I see no one.

"Uh, Damian, _look_ ," Dick says gently. I think he's had enough. "I don't think it's a performance. It's _too_ …"

" _Predictable_?" Damian narrows his eyes. "I know that, _dammit_ , I'm not _stupid_. But we have to try. If there _is_ going to be a performance there is a possibility that's just a distraction. What if while there is confetti showering our heads and bunnies popping out of hats Todd is getting _tortured_ underground? Nobody would hear his screams."

"But if she truly wanted to kill him she could have done that by now," Dick says.

"She wants us to _find_ her, Grayson. Get the satisfaction of seeing our horrified faces when we pick up Todd's icy, unmoving body from the gr—"

"Okay, _stop_ ," I cut in. "Damian, you're right, _anything_ is possible. But going about blindly isn't helping our case. What if she never told anyone of a performance? What if she just crashes in a park and starts the show? She wouldn't go through the trouble of booking a theatre."

" _Yes_ but if she wishes to protect her status to the rest of Gotham she has to play by the rules. Don't you think people will suspect something if she comes out of nowhere after so many years and performs spontaneously in a random spot?"

"No, I think they'd be quite hap—"

"Let's not argue," Dick says.

"We are _not_."

"Then let's stop talking and get back to the Wayne Manor. Maybe listen to what Batman has gathered."

Damian agrees this time and we return. I'm pretty sure we all feel like the day has been wasted but at least now we know it's not a performance where people could be in danger. It doesn't quite make a correlation to Jason unless she appears somewhere in Gotham to display tricks she wants to play on him. Which I think again, is unlikely and very risky in her case. So it's nothing public. It's something we have to dig further for.

It's almost evening. We find Batman in the Batcave, at the computer. I look at the screen and the many tabs. One shows a list of dancing schools in Gotham. Then a file of a ballerina marked a murderer. He also pulled up a search on dance classes. I see his work is very thorough, very widespread but also like ours, _unproductive_.

"Nothing is adding up," He says to us. "We can't even make sense of the first line and the second line is leaving us with nothing."

Dick places a hand on his shoulder. "We'll have something soon. If we narrow down our theories, there has to be something left."

We think hard in silence.

"We've been thinking of the message as two different meanings. What if they mean in _one_? Eternal youth…dancing girls…a place with kids?" I suggest.

"Could be an orphanage."

"Or a _home_."

"Then we've got another shot," Dick says. "Let's check out orphanages."

Damian looks uncertain. "I don't think it's that e—"

"No, Damian," Batman says. "Dick is right. Go. We have to do _something_."

"We're wasting time."

"And if we sit here and do nothing, _Jason_ is _losing_ time."

Damian looks at his father then nods.

"You and Dick, go. Tomoe, stay. I have to speak to you." Batman orders.

Damian and Dick pause, thinking they might need to hear it too. I shake my head and wave them off. "See ya."

Once they leave, I look at Batman. "Well?"

"Damian told me about what happened in China,"

"Everything?"

" _Everything_."

"Ahhh…then I think I know what you want to confront me about," I frown.

"I think you do. Your fear in battle is—"

"I know, I know, Damian already lectured me," I sigh. "I don't think I have to hear it twice."

"Damian and I think differently, Tomoe, in a _lot_ of cases. He's harsh but _right_. I _can_ be harsh but I choose to help instead. I acknowledge your lack of experience in this field. You possess the strength, agility, and the weapon for a fight but not the heart. You still fear the wrong, the bad, don't you? You think too much about what happens to people at the moment that you don't think about the better good, the future. There are sacrifices we have to make, small ones, even for _ourselves_ in desperate moments, like the one you encountered in Jinan. The little things you don't have the temerity to do can lead to something worse. You have to overlook them to focus on the main goal. I don't expect you to be any better next time but take in my words…I still believe you have the potential to be a great crime fighter. Damian didn't just _grouse_ , he told me everything, the good things _and_ the bad things about you. He may not sound like it but he _accepts_ you."

"I'm happy to hear that…thank you, Batman. You seem to read me like a book or you're just _that_ good…I'll try, I swear. I'll think about the bigger picture."

"Good. Now I hope you have been practicing with your Sai because—" he stands up and gets into a stance. "It's time to show me if you _have_ gotten better."

I grin and get my Sai out.

"Will do, sir."


End file.
